Shaniyah Chisolm Discussion 3

At the beginning of “Salvation”, we see a young hopeful child getting ready to go to church with his aunt. Often in churches, people like to take children to churches to become acquainted with the religion at an early age to worship. In the text, it’s described as bringing the young lambs to the fold. When people are in church, specifically black churches, they’re very high energy. People can be found singing, preaching, and fainting. Since the adults are accustomed to religion, they’re able to have faith in it and connect deeply with it. Compared to the adults in the church, the children didn’t feel anything. Langston believed to be saved he had to vividly see Jesus. His aunt explained that when he was saved, he’d see a light, and something happened to him inside. He was expecting a physical being instead of a feeling. Religion is a very nuanced topic that is hard for children to grasp. There are a lot of open-ended questions when it comes to religion that would make it hard as a child to fully understand how you’re supposed to act and feel when you’re worshiping. Throughout the story, we see how Langston’s excitement and childlike wonder dwindle once he starts to not feel or see anything in the church. He saw his friend also not feel anything but went up anyways to get it over with. Later he did the same but felt guilty as if he were lying because he did not feel anything or see any light and lost that faith he once had. The dramatic irony in the story stems from the vague sense of religion.