Thank You M'Am

Tolerance is not Enough

Albert Ellis, an American psychologist, once said, “Acceptance is not love. You love a person because he or she has lovable traits, but you accept everybody just because they're alive and human.” Langston Hughes’s short story, “Thank You, M’am,” emphasizes this point—that all must be accepted—clearly. In the story, a boy struggles for approval Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. A story set in the 1950’s, it spreads its message to all periods of time, including the modern world. Throughout history, there have always been outcasts, those whom society rejects. The work of Langston Hughes suggests that the human being’s desire for acceptance remains prominent in the common man.

Roger, a character in “Thank You, M’am,” has many desires, all of which lead to his longing for approval from others. This longing is quite apparent in Roger’s use of language, through respect for Mrs. Jones. He uses the word m’am almost religiously, always addressing Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones with reverence. A man’s desires, want and passions, can cause him to perform crazy actions, perhaps even terrible ones. Roger desires blue suede shoes, typical for a young boy of that time, the 1950’s. He very directly states, “I want a pair of blue suede shoes.” He wants to have the shoes that are “in,” that will let him be accepted into his social group. Roger’s desire for acceptance manifests itself here quite clearly. He will do nearly anything to achieve this, including theft. Even once Mrs. Jones catches Roger, though, he fights for acceptance from her, trying to appease Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. Roger thinks to himself that “he did not trust the woman not to trust him. And he did not want to be mistrusted now.”

To make Mrs. Jones welcome him, Roger makes the decision to let her trust him. Trust is, in fact, one of the main components of