Discovering fiction
Langston Hughes in "Thank You, Ma'am" and Ernest Hemingway in "A Day's Wait" depict a short period of time from the life of two young boys – Roger and Schatz. Roger is trying to steal a purse from an old lady, but instead he receives a valuable life lesson. Schatz is a young boy, who is ill, and has to lie in bed with influenza. He is informed by the doctor that his temperature is one hundred and two degrees, and the boy has to spend a day thinking that he is going to die. Then his father tells him that he is not going to die, and the boy returns to normal child life. Despite the fact that the stories have different plots and themes, two boys have a lot of things in common, as they both face the fear and are both given valuable lessons from the adults. However, they are different in the way they feel about themselves, and the way they behave.
Both Schatz and Roger have to face the feeling of fear. Roger is trying to steal the purse of an old lady and gets caught, so he fears that the woman is going to take him to police. However, she does not do that, but he still feels uncomfortable and wants to run away, while she does not let him. On the other hand, Schatz is sure that he is going to die soon, because he has misunderstood the doctor talking about his high temperature, as he confused two systems of measurement. His fear has to last for a whole day, while his father aggravates it, as he goes hunting, leaving his son alone with his troublesome thoughts. Boys’ fear is far from childish, as they both face a difficult life situation and have to deal with it.
Boys are given valuable life lessons by the adults. The lesson given to Roger is deeper than just “And next time, do not make the mistake of latching onto my pocketbook nor nobody else’s” (Hughes, year, p. 22). She explains the boy that it is not worthy to steal, and makes him feel guilty. But the most important lesson is that she shows him that there are a lot of reasons to appreciate people, trust and respect them. Schatz also receives a lesson: he learns that it is not good to make hasty assumptions, and he learns that misunderstanding has a high price. The other thing is that he also has a chance to appreciate his life, and he will definitely share his worries with the father next time.
Despite the similarities, there are some differences between the two characters. Both boys face inner conflicts connected with their fear. But the way they feel about them are different. Schatz has to face the fear because of misunderstanding. It is not his fault that he does not know about the two systems of measurement. He is scared about his life, but he remains calm and wants to protect other people, as “boy had refused to let anyone come into the room (Hemingway, year, p. 7). On the contrary, it is Roger’s fault that he gets into trouble, as he wants to steal the purse to buy new shoes. It is completely his fault, so he has to deal with the inner conflict between his desires and guilt. Therefore, the fear has completely different origins.
Another thing is the way two boys behave in a difficult situation. Schatz wants to suffer in silence, as he does not want to share his grief and bother anyone. He acts not like a child, but like an adult, who has to meet his destiny. However, it is not a way he normally behaves, but just a reaction towards what seems to be bad news. Roger behaves as an adult too, as he wants to recover in the eyes of a lady and gain her trust. He understands his mistake and learns his lesson, so he tries to remain calm and be helpful. The boys have different motives, but they behave like adults to feel like worthy individuals.
"Thank You, Ma'am" by Langston Hughes and "A Day's Wait" by Ernest Hemingway are two short stories about the relationship between children and adults that reveal two different boys in absolutely different situations. Nevertheless, the boys share similar inner conflicts, as they have to deal with fear, dignity and trust. Because of the fears they both have a chance to learn important life lessons they will definitely remember. At the same time, they react differently to difficult situations that may be seen in the way they behave.
References
Hughes, L. (Year of publication). Thank You, Ma'am. In A. A. Editor & B. B. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pages of chapter). Location: Publisher.
Hemingway, E. (Year of publication). A Day's Wait. In A. A. Editor & B. B. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pages of chapter). Location: Publisher.
