"Thank you M'am"

Author's Note: In the short story "Thank you M'am", Roger, a helpless boy who wants to buy a new pair of shoes, attempts to steal Mrs. Jones' purse.  I am using this as an example of conflict/resolution. The conflict in the story is that Roger steals Mrs. Jones' purse and that he lives a selfish life of stealing others belongings. The resolution is that Mrs. Jones' brings him home to teach him a lesson...

Stealing is a bad thing in society. Especially when you get caught by someone like Mrs. Jones.  Roger, being careless, gets caught by Mrs. Jones, who knows that he needs to be taught a lesson that he obviously  hasn't been taught before. Next, Mrs. Jones is draggs him to her house, which starts the path to the resolution. She is attempting to set things straight with Roger and wants to make sure he never does this object of stealing ever again. Not only was Mrs. Jones going to teach him about not stealing, but she was going to teach him how to be a polite guest. You could also relate this to little boys learning from their parents all the basics about life. Not to steal, be polite, be nice to people, etc. But sometimes you have to set the boy straight if he steps out of line, which is what Roger clearly needed.