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Setting
Situational Irony
Explanation and Analysis—Trustworthy Roger:
In an example of situational irony, Roger, who has just tried to steal Mrs. Jones’s purse off of her, decides not to try to steal it again, even when she creates the conditions for him to easily be able to do so (by leaving her purse within his reach). The following passage captures the irony of this moment:
The woman did not watch the boy to see if he was going to run now, nor did she watch her purse, which she left behind her on the daybed. But the boy took care to sit on the far side of the room, away from the purse, where he thought she could easily see him out of the corner of her eye if she wanted to. He did not trust the woman not to trust him. And he did not want to be mistrusted now.
When readers learn that Mrs. Jones “did not watch the boy to see if he was going to run” while also not watching her purse, which is within his reach in her small apartment, they likely expect Roger to grab the purse and make a run for it. After all, Mrs. Jones has just dragged him to her home against his will—he has no real reason to trust her. And yet, Roger “took care to sit on the far side of the room, away from the purse” because he “did not want to be mistrusted now.”
This moment is significant because it implies that, just by inviting Roger into her home and not immediately calling the police, Mrs. Jones has already inspired Roger to change his ways. While she will go on to make him dinner, express empathy for his decision to mug her, and even give him 10 dollars from her purse, in this moment, she has simply expressed the bare minimum of kindness, and this alone inspires Roger to act with politeness and care. This is Hughes’s way of communicating to readers that even a small amount of empathy and kindness (especially to people who are clearly acting out due to their challenging circumstances) can go a long way.
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Explanation and Analysis—Mrs. Jones’s Kindness:
In an example of situational irony, Mrs. Jones treats Roger with compassion and kindness in the aftermath of him trying to steal her purse. While many people would react to such an experience by violently attacking or otherwise punishing their mugger, after their brief altercation Mrs. Jones ends up feeding Roger dinner and willingly giving him 10 dollars so he can buy the pair of blue suede shoes he so desires. The following passage captures Mrs. Jones’s ironic and unexpected kindness toward the boy:
She heated some lima beans and ham she had in the icebox, made the cocoa, and set the table. The woman did not ask the boy anything about where he lived, or his folks, or anything else that would embarrass him. […] Then she cut him a half of her ten-cent cake. “Eat some more, son,” she said. When they were finished eating, she got up and said, “Now here, take this ten dollars and buy yourself some blue suede shoes.”
Mrs. Jones shows Roger (and readers) that she is not interested in punishing the boy for his actions, but in showing him empathy and care. Not only does she heat up lima beans and ham for him for dinner, she also makes him hot cocoa, compassionately avoids topics “that would embarrass him,” and, ultimately, gives him the money for his shoes. This ironic twist is Hughes’s way of communicating to readers that it is possible for people to show kindness to those who have tried to cause them harm, and that this is the best way to truly inspire people to change their ways.
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Explanation and Analysis—Mrs. Jones’s Tenacity:
When, at the beginning of the story, the young and spry Roger tries to mug the old and unprepared Mrs. Jones, she unexpectedly comes out the victor in the tussle—an example of situational irony. While readers would expect the youthful and pugnacious Roger to easily mug Mrs. Jones, she quickly overpowers him and drags him back to her home in a headlock, as captured in the following passage:
Sweat popped out on the boy’s face and he began to struggle. Mrs. Jones stopped, jerked him around in front of her, put a half nelson about his neck, and continued to drag him up the street. When she got to her door, she dragged the boy inside, down a hall, and into a large kitchenette-furnished room at the rear of the house.
Here, the previously confident Roger is sweating and struggling while Mrs. Jones easily “jerk[s] him around in front of her, put[s] a half nelson about his neck, and continue[s] to drag him up the street.” Hughes repeats the word “drag” in the following sentence to highlight Mrs. Jones’s strength and the ease with which she overpowers Roger. While readers may worry that she is doing so in order to harm or punish the boy, she brings him home simply to feed him and compassionately teach him about why his behavior is unacceptable.
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