In the short story "Thank-you Ma’am" Langston Hughes shows how irony plays a big role in life. The protagonist, Luella Bates Washington Jones, is a large woman who works late at a hotel as a beautician. She is one of those women who carries a very large purse with just about everything in it.

The story begins when a young man of about 14 decides to rob Mrs. Washington to buy a new pair of blue, suede shoes. His plan backfires and he learns a lesson about life he will never forget.

Not only does "Thank-you Ma’am" teach an important life lesson: It reminds us that no one is perfect. We feel that the author is trying to tell us not to sit back and judge our youth by the things they do now. As you will see when you read the story, which we highly recommended, even Miss Jones made bad mistakes in her day and she still sees something in Roger. Maybe she saw a little bit of herself. If you want more details on how this wonderful story ends, you will have to read it, and we promise --you won’t be disappointed.