Point of View

"Thank You, M'am" is written from the third-person perspective. It tells the story of the interaction between Mrs. Jones and the boy, but without providing insight into the specific thoughts of either character. This perspective is important because it creates a sense of universality to the events of the story – the characters could be any two people in a similar situation. But the third-person perspective is also significant because it underscores the notion that the story is meant to be interpreted and analyzed. On the surface, the story is brief and straightforward: a boy attempts to rob a woman, she takes him to her house, cleans him up, feeds him, gives him some money and sends him on his way. Readers may even have a difficult time deducing what the story is "about" and why it lacks some of the staples of a traditional short...