Thank You, M'am

“[T]he boy’s weight and the weight of the purse combined caused him to lose his balance so, instead of taking off full blast as he had hoped, the boy fell on his back on the sidewalk, and his legs flew up. The large woman simply turned around and kicked him right square in his blue-jeaned sitter.” 

Roger’s failed attempt to rob Mrs. Jones is both the catalyst for the rest of the plot and an important moment in its own right. The above passage, for instance, juxtaposes the two characters in a way that offers insight into both. The fumbling way Roger grabs the purse only to trip and fall suggests that he’s not an experienced thief, and perhaps also that his heart isn’t truly in the effort; the fact that he loses his balance so easily also hints at his slight stature, which Hughes later confirms. By contrast, Mrs. Jones’s response highlights her decisiveness and physical strength; apparently unperturbed by the attempted robbery, Mrs. Jones “simply” turns and kicks Roger.

“The woman said, ‘What did you want to do it for?’

The boy said, ‘I didn’t aim to.’

She said, ‘You a lie!’” 

The above exchange is significant given the overall emphasis the story places on personal responsibility. Although Roger eventually explains why he tried to rob Mrs. Jones, his initial instinct is to deny having intended to steal from her at all. This seems hard to square with Roger’s actions, and Mrs. Jones immediately pegs it as a lie, effectively demanding that he admit to “wanting” to steal. She does so not in anger or vengefulness but in an attempt to instill in Roger a sense of agency; if he is accountable for the harm he does, then he is also capable of and responsible for doing good.