Change is often thought of as a long, tedious task that requires effort and concentration. In the short story “Thank You, Ma’am,” written by the late Langston Hughes, it is proven that change, in fact, does not need to be difficult. Compassionate, quick-witted Mrs. Jones shows this to Roger, a boy living the realities of poverty, when he tries to steal her purse late one night. She takes him to her home and, in just a few short hours, subtly turns his life around, and, while not saying it directly, teaches him the basics of right from wrong. Hughes breaks stereotypes about the difficulties of change as he tells us about two contrasting people who change each other’s lives dramatically.