Published in 1958, Langston Hughes's short story "Thank You Ma'am" is about an attempted purse snatching that turns into a lesson about dignity, generosity, and trust.
When a teenage boy, Roger, tries to steal a large woman's purse, the woman, Mrs. Jones, easily overpowers the scrawny teen, lifting him by his shirt. After she notices his face is dirty and learns that he has no one at home to teach him to keep himself presentable, Mrs. Jones drags the boy back to the rooming house where she lives and instructs him to wash his face. Roger worries she is going to bring him to the police, but Mrs. Jones instead takes pity on the desperate boy and offers to share her dinner. She asks what he wanted the purse for and Roger admits it was for a pair of blue suede shoes. Mrs. Jones surprises him by saying he could have asked for the money, and surprises him again when she confesses that she too once wanted things she couldn't afford. While Mrs. Jones cooks, Roger knows he could run away, and even take the purse she leaves unattended, but the trust Mrs. Jones shows him makes Roger want to earn her trust. He politely speaks with her about her work over dinner. Before Roger leaves, Mrs. Jones gives the boy ten dollars to buy the pair of blue suede shoes. He turns to thank her, but can barely get the words out before she closes the door.
Set against a background of poverty in what is likely the neighborhood of Harlem in New York City, "Thank You Ma'am" uses several twists of situational irony to show how trust and generosity can provide relief for people driven to desperate acts. Rather than take Roger to the police, Mrs. Jones chooses an empathetic, community-minded approach to dealing with the would-be thief, as she knows Roger only tried to steal from her because he is desperately poor.
