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What do you think Roger wants to say, other than "Thank you, M'am," to Mrs. Jones at the end of Langston Hughes's short story.

At the end of Langston Hughes' short story "Thank You M'am" Roger is virtually left mute when Mrs. Jones ushers him out the front door of her apartment building: "He barely managed to say 'Thank you,' before she shut the door." Certainly Roger had a range of emotions going through his head at this point. He probably wanted to express his profound gratitude to Mrs. Jones for simply recognizing him and treating him like a human being. Apparently, Roger is neglected at home and part of his feeble attempt at stealing her purse could be considered a plea for help. He is quite obviously not skilled at being a thief and definitely not a hard core juvenile delinquent. Fortunately for Roger he ran into Mrs. Jones who, rather than turn him into the police, took him under her arm, literally and figuratively, cooked him dinner and even gave him money for the shoes he claimed he wanted. Therefore, Roger was at a loss for words. He didn't know how to truly thank someone for changing his entire life and pointing him in the right direction. He may have even wanted to tell her that he loved her like a mother for what he had done for him.

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