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Irony
Definition of Mood
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect of a piece of writing... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes... read full definition
Mood
Explanation and Analysis:
The mood of “Thank You, M’am” shifts from tense to calm over the course of the story. In the beginning, there is a lot of action—Roger tries to steal Mrs. Jones’s purse off of her in the street and then she fights him off, ultimately putting him in a headlock and dragging him back to her house. The tension in the story is high at this point, inspiring readers to wonder whether Mrs. Jones is going to punish the boy in some way, either through more physical force or by calling the police.
The mood starts to shift as Mrs. Jones, instead, shows Roger empathy and kindness, making him dinner and reacting with compassion when he explains that he tried to steal her purse because he wanted to buy himself a pair of blue suede shoes. Rather than judging or criticizing him, she tells him, “I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son,” before noting, “Everybody’s got something in common.”
The final lines of the story capture the calm and yet also somewhat complex mood that “Thank You, M’am” ends on:
The boy wanted to say something other than, “Thank you, m’am,” to Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, but although his lips moved, he couldn’t even say that as he turned at the foot of the barren stoop and looked up at the large woman in the door. Then she shut the door.
The fact that Roger wants to express his gratitude to Mrs. Jones here—and that “Thank you, m’am” doesn’t seem to be enough—contributes to the calm and heartfelt mood at the end of the story. There is no urgency or tension here, beyond Roger’s desire to tell Mrs. Jones how much her kindness means to him. At the same time, the final line—“Then she shut the door”—adds a slight sense of sadness and loss to this final moment. Roger, who has repeatedly said that he has no family at home, just got a taste of what it would mean to have a caring mother and a warm home, and he likely experiences the door closing as a moment of loss.
Related Themes:
