In the beginning of “Salvation” by Langston Hughes, 12 year old Langston Hughes had a sense of excitement in wanting to be saved because he was told that he would see Jesus when it was time to happen. His Auntie Reed told him that and the elders conversations about the same thing gave him confirmation. Sitting next to his friend Westley in church while other children were going up to the alter gave him a sense of comfort because he knew that Westley had the same feelings as him. Once Westley went to the alter without seeing Jesus, Langston felt deceived. How could Westley go to the alter and be saved without even seeing Jesus? That’s not how it suppose to happen. The congregation prayed and cried over Langston, in which he felt obligated to go to the pulpit. However Langston knew in his heart that was not right. His aunt along with the congregation pretty much peer pressured him into doing something that he did not want to do. His excitement to see Jesus vanished and he had a feeling of sadness because of irony he felt. He felt like everyone around him lied which led him to be a non-believer.
Daily Archives: September 8, 2022
The young Langston Hughes is different than he was at the beginning of the story because he now lacks this belief in God, Jesus, and religion. At the beginning of this short story, he is looking forward to accepting God and Jesus in his life. He trusted the grown-ups in his life. He trusted them whole heartily that Jesus would come and save him because he was told by his family and other adults that this would happen. He had no reason not to believe them at this point. Then he waits and waits to see this light, to see Jesus come to him, and he watches as all the other children leave him. It then gets to this point where he accepts the fact that Jesus isn’t going to come to him in this way. By the end, he no longer has this religious belief anymore. Also, by the end, the young Langston Hughes would sure doubt his family and other adults and not accept whatever they said as fact and truth because now he has trusted them and they have seemed to lie. I would also think that he would have doubt and shame in himself. Maybe there was something wrong and different with him and that’s why Jesus didn’t come to him.
The young narrator is different from the way he was at the beginning of the story to the ending of the story because in the beginning he was more hopeful and intrigued with what the outcome would be. But as the short story goes on he slowly starts to lose faith. At first he was so full of spirit and he wanted to be saved by christ because he heard everyone else’s story so he felt like well if god can do that for them then he can do the same for me. The narrator looked at the situation like that and it allowed him to be hopeful but when he went to the church and tried to experience this for himself it just didn’t happen. It’s very ironic when we want something so badly but we don’t end up getting it. Believing in Jesus and really putting your complete faith and trust into God isn’t something that comes easily to people and that’s okay. In this short story the narrator is very young at the time and he doesn’t realize just how deep religion really is so to try and fit in with the crowd he fakes it. This alone could have many consequences because now he’s feeling guilty, he could have doubts in god, and this could potentially affect his aunts trust in him in the future.
“Salvation” by Langston Hughes recalls an experience that left the narrator deceived by Jesus. Starting off, it seems as if Langston is ready to be brought to Jesus as he believes what his aunt is telling him about the whole celebration. All around the church are moans and shouts for these mourners on the bench to come and see the light of god, but it’s as if they are forced to do it. Langston states a man said “Won’t you come? Won’t you come to Jesus? Young lambs won’t you come?” which caused the little girls to cry and go meet Jesus right away. What Langston describes is that the adults are acting obnoxious to these kids and the experience sounds forceful for them to meet Jesus. After some time, Langston was all alone on the bench and he states that he just couldn’t see Jesus, even while being pressured by his aunt and the minister to come and be saved. Finally, he rises up and gets led to the platform as everyone shouts and rejoices as the celebration comes to an end. Importantly, Langston states that he had a sense of guilt because he didn’t see Jesus or even felt his presence, meanwhile his aunt thinks he met the Holy Ghost.
Corey Lei, ENG 201, Sec 0516 At the begging of the story, the Author Langston Hughes was automatically made to believe he was with Jesus (1). She stated, ” you were saved. You saw the light, and something happened to you inside! And Jesus came into your life! And God was with you from then on! “(1). Langston was put with a group that hadn’t felt the connection with Jesus, and he was placed in the front role on the mourners’ Bench with his age group. He and another child name Westley were the only ones who hadn’t gotten up to the so-called light they saw. Westly lied and pretended to know Jesus to avoid being preached, singing along with the songs. Seeing the light meaning is believing in Jesus. Then Langston stood and stood up, and everyone in the church celebrated that Langston had finally seen the light. His Aunt was thrilled. Later the night, he cried, while his aunt thought it was just the Holy Ghost getting to him. In the beginning, Langston was brought to the church and was convinced Jesus had brought him to life and gave him a chance. The church was a test to see his belief. The Author was confident in the beginning but confused in the middle because he was the last to ” see the light. ” In the end, he felt hopeless and horrible because he lied and still hasn’t seen the light.
Wyman Siu, Eng 201, Sec 0516 In the text, “Salvation”, by Langston Huges, it is portrayed at the beginning that his younger self was always told. For example, his aunt told him, “My aunt told me that when you were saved you saw a light, and something happened to you inside! And Jesus came into your life!”(Paragraph 2). He was told to believe, he never thought about what he was told. Just what was God? Throughout the text, he realized that god wasn’t a person but a belief that many people see. It is not only leaving doubt and questions in his mind and that is what gives into his mindset at the end of the text. It is an irony, a situational irony to be exact, that what’s giving other people including his family (aunt) hope is giving him doubts. I thank this also highlights his change from the beginning of the text to him as a young adult.
