"Thank You M'Am" Plot Analysis

269 Words2 Pages
“Thank You, M’am” is a short story about a woman who nearly gets her purse stolen. The woman thinks a bit differently than others might, and instead of reacting with shock and calling the cops, she instead makes an early twist in the story by grabbing the teen who attempted to steal her purse. She then takes the teen to her home. The story takes place in a fairly populated city, judging by the line stating “...two or three people passed, stopped, turned to look, and some stood watching.” It was about 11:00 at night when the story began, so it seems appropriate that two to three people walking by at 11:00 would mean the city was populated. The main character in this story is the lady, who's name is Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. She is the one who almost got her purse stolen. She is wealthy, as evidenced by her home which had a “...large kitchenette-furnished room at the rear of the house.” The second main character in this story is the thief, Roger. He is a boy living in unfortunate circumstances as he is stated to have a “dirty” face and “nobody home” to come back to. The conflict in this story is between Mrs. Jones and Roger. It starts out with him making a quick introduction by just running from behind and attempting to take her purse. The conflict goes on as Roger doesn't want to comply with her choices, simply wanting to be let free. As Mrs. Jones knows better, she just forces him to do as she
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