Art of Characterization in “Thank You, Ma'am” by Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes was an American artist, writer, and dramatist whose African-American subjects made him an essential supporter of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. Langston Hughes was conceived on February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. He distributed his first lyric in 1921. He went to Columbia University, yet left following one year to travel. He proceeded to compose incalculable works of verse, writing and plays, and in addition a prominent section for the Chicago Defender. He passed away from this world on May 22, 1967. (Editors, 2014) When you were younger, has anyone treated you good or bad according to your behavior? Or do you remember any incident of your life in which you made a mistake and someone offered you a chance for changing your life? Langston Hughes' short story, “Thank You, Ma'am”, distributed in 1958, catches the two circumstances. Langston Hughes was a vital and productive essayist amid the Harlem Renaissance of the mid twentieth century. He expounded on African-American life and experience. Much thanks to You Ma'am is about what happens when a high school kid and a more seasoned working lady crash on a Harlem road. There are three major topics present in “Thank You, Ma'am”: Forgiveness and Empathy, the Power of Love and Trust, and Christian Charity. At the point when Roger first grabs the handbag of Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, she wrestles him and hauls him to her outfitted room at the back of a house. The peak of the story is when Roger does not leave.


Objectives of the Study
Following are the objectives of this study: 1. The students will be able to know about Langston Hughes.
2. The students will also know about Langston Hughes works and writing style.
3. The students will learn the story of Thank You, Ma'am.
4. This study will also enhance the moral development and students will know about what is good and what is bad for them.
5. Finally, the students will also learn about the theory of characterization.

Delimitation of the Study
While working on Langston Hughes the focus is on "Thank You, Ma'am" only one short story. It is impossible to cover all the works of this writer in one study so the researcher selected only one theme to explore i.e. characterization.

Chapter Analysis
Portrayal hypothesis was created during the 1970s by an individual from the Russian This short story "Thank You, Ma'am", by Langston Hughes depicts direct characterization through these characters in this way: "She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but hammer and nails." (Hughes, 1958) This above text from the short story describes art of direct characterization that she was a strong woman with strong muscles.
There is another example of direct characterization from the story: "He looked as if he were fourteen or fifteen, frail and willow-wild, in tennis shoes and blue jeans." (Hughes, 1958) This line from the story also depicts art of direct characterization that the age and physical appearance of boy.
2. Indirect Characterization shows things that reveal the personality of a character.
There are five different methods of indirect characterization:

Speech
What does the character say? How does the character speak?
"I were young once and I wanted things I could not get. You thought I was going to say, but I didn't snatch people's pocketbooks. Well, I wasn't going to say that." www.ijohmn.com 5 These above lines from the text reveal the speech of protagonist of this short story that when she was young, she wanted to fulfill her whishes but she never choose any wrong way for the fulfillment of them.
"Well, you didn't have to snatch my pocketbook to get some suede shoes," said Mrs.
Luella Bates Washington Jones. "You could of asked me." (Hughes, 1958) The above speech of a woman from the text also describes that she was a good woman by nature.
She is caring and loving and always takes care of others.

Thoughts
What is revealed through the character's private thought s and feelings?
"Now, here, take this ten dollars and buy yourself some blue suede shoes. And next time, do not make the mistake of latching onto my pocketbook nor nobody else'sbecause shoes come by devilish like that will burn your feet. I got to get my rest now. But from here on in, son, I hope you will behave yourself." (Hughes, 1958) These lines from the story reveals us the inner thoughts and feelings of the woman that she is very good woman by heart and nature. She also wanted to turn bad boy into good that's why she treated boy very politely and offered him some money for his shoes.

Effect on others toward the characters
What is revealed through the character's effect on other people? How do other characters feel or behave in reaction to the character?