Langston Hughes' short story "Thank You, M'am" is about a young man who gets the lesson of a lifetime. Roger is a teenager who tries to steal a lady's purse on the street of a large city, probably New York. When the lady, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, grabs Roger she doesn't haul him off to jail. Surprisingly, she brings him into her apartment and cooks a meal for him. She sees that he is young and has probably never been taught the difference between right and wrong. The story echoes the old Christian parable of the Prodigal Son.
If they were to meet ten years later we may hope that Roger would be able to express his gratitude and appreciation a little more formally. At the end of the story he is barely able to say "thank you." Hopefully he would tell Mrs. Jones that he has become a success. He finished school and has a good job. Maybe Roger brings Mrs. Jones a present, such as a new handbag or a stove to cook her meals. Maybe Roger is even working to improve civil rights and the lives of hard-working black people like Mrs. Jones. He might explain to Mrs. Jones that he took the ten dollars she gave him, and instead of buying "blue suedes shoes," he helped a friend or did something constructive with the money. Roger might also ask Mrs. Jones questions about her life, like why she has such a long name.
As for Mrs. Jones, we would guess that her life hasn't changed much. She is still working as a hair dresser late into the evening. She definitely remembers Roger and is interested in how the young man's life has progressed. She would ask him if he was married or had children. She might express pride that he turned out so well and that she contributed to his success.
When you write the dialogue you should use similar dialect as found in the story. Mrs. Jones would definitely still speak in dialect ("You a lie!" "Ain't you got nobody..."). Maybe Roger speaks more conventional English since he has been educated or maybe he reverts back to a colloquial way of speaking ("Yes'm," "No'm").
No comments:
Post a Comment