Skip to main content

In "Thank you, M'am," why does Roger offer to go to the store?

Roger wants Mrs. Jones to trust him, and he wants to show his appreciation to her.


Mrs. Jones reacted in a very unusual way to an attempted purse-snatching.  When she realized that the boy who tried to steal her purse was young and not a hardened criminal, she decided to teach him a lesson herself.  Instead of calling the cops, she took him home.


When Roger first gets there, Mrs. Jones tells him to wash...

Roger wants Mrs. Jones to trust him, and he wants to show his appreciation to her.


Mrs. Jones reacted in a very unusual way to an attempted purse-snatching.  When she realized that the boy who tried to steal her purse was young and not a hardened criminal, she decided to teach him a lesson herself.  Instead of calling the cops, she took him home.


When Roger first gets there, Mrs. Jones tells him to wash his face.  He is trying to decide whether or not to bolt.  Being taken home by a strange woman must have been a little scary.



“Then, Roger, you go to that sink and wash your face,” said the woman, whereupon she turned him loose—at last. Roger looked at the door—looked at the woman—looked at the door—and went to the sink.



Roger asks her if she is going to take him to jail.  He doesn’t run away, but he is uncertain of her motivations.  She tells him she isn’t taking him anywhere, and comments that they will have something to eat together.  He tells her he wanted blue suede shoes, and she says all he had to do was ask.


The longer they spend together, the more Roger wants to be trusted. She is a nice lady, and she just wants to help him.  She tells him she was young once, and implies that she made some choices she would rather not have made.  Roger wants her to see the good in him.



He did not trust the woman not to trust him. And he did not want to be mistrusted now.


“Do you need somebody to go to the store,” asked the boy, “maybe to get some milk or something?”


“Don’t believe I do,” said the woman …



Roger’s time with Mrs. Jones does not last long.  When he leaves, you can tell that Mrs. Jones has made an impression on Roger.  He is not going to steal anyone’s purse any time soon.

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How did the United States become an imperial power?

"Imperial power" is a bit of a vague label. It tends to mean several things at once, so let's unpack it. In the sense of "this country was built on conquest by force," the "imperial power" part of America actually predates the United States proper. The territories that would become the United States were imperial colonies, established by the great European empires of the 17th and 18th centuries. Much of the US Constitution and American governance generally goes back to England, history's largest and most successful imperial power, but vital aspects of American culture come from other imperial powers, such as France and Spain. Much of American culture comes from sources other than the old empires, but they were key influences on what the United States became. In the sense of "this country treats conquest by force as a fundamental component of its culture, economy and politics," the United States has always been an imperial power. Even earl...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more