From the
beginning to the end, Mrs. Jones reacts in a way that is completely beyond Rogers expectation.
In the first place, Roger is quite sure that he would be able to pull the purse slinging on
Mrs. Jones shoulders and run away with it. He tries doing so with maximum force but the purse is
much heavier than he thinks. He loses his balance and falls down on the pavement. Mrs. Jones
kicks him right square in his blue-jeaned sitter and
then picks him up by his shirt. When she starts shaking him with both her hands, his teeth start
"rattling." Her grip is too strong to be escaped from. Her robust
and vigorous reaction stuns him.
Rogers obvious expectation was that Mrs.
Jones would hand him over to the police. Completely against his thoughts, she takes him to her
house. What follows there leaves him speechless and overwhelmed with a strong sense of
gratitude.
Despite being a stranger, Mrs. Jones treats him just like her son.
She shouts at him for being so untidy and unkempt. She asks him to clean his face and offers him
a clean towel and a comb. Then she cooks him something to eat and shares the dining table with
him. She takes care not to embarrass him by her question or remark and speaks to him quite
informally.
Before he leaves, she gives him ten dollars to buy himself a pair
of suede shoes. Her final words to him are,
Good-night! Behave yourself, boy!
Roger must be thinking that Mrs. Jones is like no other woman. He had just tried to rob
her of her purse and he is probably wondering how its possible that she had been so kind and
affectionate to him. Thus, the way Mrs. Jones reacts not only amazes Roger but also the readers.
Wed love to hope that her motherly and empathetic reaction brings about a tremendous change in
Roger, who until now has been a petty thief.
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