What is the setting (place and time) of "Thank You, M'am"?

Although no definite time or place is stated in the story “Thank you, M’am” by Langston Hughes, there are a few context clues in the story for us to make an educated guess. First of all, Mrs. Jones lives in a boarding house or apartment building with other people. Her apartment is small and suggests that it is a one room flat because the bedroom and kitchen are in the same room. The description of...

Although no definite time or place is stated in the story “Thank you, M’am” by Langston Hughes, there are a few context clues in the story for us to make an educated guess. First of all, Mrs. Jones lives in a boarding house or apartment building with other people. Her apartment is small and suggests that it is a one room flat because the bedroom and kitchen are in the same room. The description of her apartment indicates that the story takes place in a city or urban area. In addition, we can conclude that the story takes place sometime in the 1950’s because of Roger’s desire for a pair of blue suede shoes. The song “Blue Suede Shoes," popularized by Elvis Presley, but written by Carl Perkins in 1955, shows that Roger wants to be stylish and fashionable. 

Because we know that Langston Hughes lived and wrote the majority of his works in Harlem in New York City, we can also probably make the assumption that Harlem, a predominately black community, is the physical setting of the story.