While many of Hughes’s works are explicitly set in Harlem, the text of “Thank You, M’am” does not specify a location, a choice that gives the story the timeless quality of a parable. However, the details Hughes does provide suggest a Black, urban neighborhood very like the Harlem he knew well. The story has a simple structure, built around two locations, one public and one private. The opening portion of the story takes place in the public context of the street, where the paths of strangers like Mrs. Jones and Roger can easily intersect. In this setting, their relationship is contentious and violent, beginning with Roger attacking Mrs. Jones, who quickly kicks and grabs ahold of him, wrestling for the duration of their time outside. 

When they enter Mrs. Jones’s home, the story shifts its mood, taking on a new intimacy in the private space. In private, Mrs. Jones extends a level of trust to Roger, leaving him near her purse and the open door while she prepares their food. Roger, in turn, begins to trust her, choosing to stay rather than run. In this intimate space, Mrs. Jones shares details that reveal more of her life and character. Her tenement “kitchenette” shows her to be a woman of limited means, yet she carries herself with dignity in that small space. Bringing Roger into her home is a way of showing him a life of self-respect that is within reach despite his rough start in life, just as Mrs. Jones achieved it despite her earlier challenges.