How does the setting of Mrs. Jones's home contribute to your sense of who she is in Thank You, Ma'am?Connect: How does the setting of mrs jones...

One of the major themes in this story is that people
should retain their dignity and their morals even in trying circumstances such as
poverty.  This is what Mrs. Jones is trying to teach Roger -- she is trying to give him
the sense that he can be trusted, that he has dignity.  The aspects of her home that you
mention reinforce this theme -- they show us that she, herself, is not well-off.  Even
so, she retains immense dignity.

All of the things you
mention are things that show that Mrs. Jones lives in very modest circumstances.  She
only has a hot plate -- not a real stove.  She is eating ham and lima beans and cheap
cake.  She cooks in a screened off corner of her room, not in a kitchen.  She is clearly
not very wealthy at all.  Even so, she is clearly a very moral woman who retains her
dignity and values.

By putting Mrs. Jones in such a modest
home, Hughes emphasizes the fact that she is living her life the way she wants Roger to
live his.