What features of the character of Mrs Luella Bates are exposed in the short story “Thank You Maam”

What features of the character of Mrs Luella Bates are exposed in the short story “Thank You Maam” Class 12 | English (Thank You Maam) 6 Marks

Ans:

A strong woman with a soft heart is what characterises Mrs Jones. At the very beginning, when the boy tries to snatch her purse, Mrs Jones catches the boy red-handed. Instead of handing him over to the police, she takes the boy home. There she makes him wash his face, comb his hair to make him look presentable and feeds him. This unexpected show of mother-like affection and warmth moves Roger greatly. Her forgiving nature is evident when she gives him ten dollars to buy the pair of blue suede shoes for which he attempted to steal her purse. Such an incredible act of generosity is aptly followed by her friendly, good piece of advice to Roger that he should prohibit himself from indulging in any kind of misdeed. The lesson that she learnt from her past mistakes, helped her make the boy understand that achieving something through hard work is much more satisfying than gaining it by unfair and illegal means. She did not intend to embarrass the boy by asking about his past. Instead she wanted to enlighten him by presenting the example of her own life. This shows that the thought process of Mrs Jones is quite different. In place of taking strict action against the young boy turned thief Mrs Jones like a strict mother tried to reform the boy by rectifying his errors.