Young Langston in “Salvation” is introduced to us as an observant and curious boy who becomes excited when his Aunt tells him he will hear and see Jesus when he is saved at church, which he takes literally. As the other children go up to the altar during the church revival, he is still waiting for Jesus to appear. He finally surrenders and stands up, being led to the altar by the priest under the guise of seeing Jesus.
In the beginning of the story, Langston is skeptical, but hopeful. He is looking forward to having a personal experience with Jesus to feel more connected with the religion he has been raised within. After the church revival and returning home, Langston feels ashamed because he lied. At the end of the story he is not only ashamed, but also sad and confused. He went from thinking he will see Jesus to not believing Jesus at all, losing his faith in religion.
One thought on “Victoria Santagato Discussion 3”
Hi Victoria, I would agree with you. The curiosity of children is not to be taken for granted. Yes, he was excited to see Jesus after he was told all these amazing things about what he would have experienced; if I were in his shoe, I would be excited as well. But then the pressure and stress came along with him seeing his peer give in so as not to disappoint his aunt and the congregation; he stood up. He felt remorseful because of the lies he told but also disappointed for not seeing Jesus, which caused him to have less faith in him.