After reading “Salvation” by Langston Huges the boy in the story who is the main character suddenly becomes very appealing to me. His character is someone that seems like all he wanted to do was be saved so that his aunt would believe him. Some of the words that I would use to describe him is optimistic, confused, and worried. I say this because the longer he sat there he could tell that it was going nowhere. Although he wanted to try and be saved watching all of the kids get picked up and passed by him, he felt as if he had no other choice but to fake it and act like he was saved as well. By the end of the story, he is a bit different as now his faith is at stake. After lying his way through church, he questioned everything he’s ever know because “he” was supposed to come down and help but didn’t.
Daily Archives: February 12, 2023
The boy in “Salvation” by Langston Hughes is strong-willed, conscious, and was very aware of his actions. In the story, Hughes was strong-willed because he stood his ground when everyone in the Church, including his aunt, wanted him to stand up and go to the front with all the other children. In chapter 3, Hughes states “Westley and I were surrounded by sisters and deacons praying. It was very hot in the church, and getting late now. Finally Westley said to me in a whisper: ‘God damn! I’m tired o’ sitting here. Let’s get up and be saved.’ So he got up and was saved. Then I was left all alone on the mourners’ bench.” This demonstrates Langston Hughes was strong-willed because he stayed sitting while his friend, Westley, went up in front of the church because he said he was “tired of sitting” and went ahead and joined the other kids. Hughes felt like it was not yet his time so he did not decide to get up with the others. Hughes was very conscious. He knew what he was doing and he knew his goal. He was waiting to see Jesus physically. In my opinion, he did not fully understand the “concept” in the belief of Jesus. He thought he was going to physically get saved and did not do so, because he never actually saw Jesus. In the end of the story, Langston Hughes was very aware because after he was home, he regretted lying to his aunt, and to everyone in the church, and he felt so ashamed that he even cried to himself while he was in bed. He stated, “I cried, in bed alone, and couldn’t stop…[my aunt] woke up and told my uncle I was crying because the Holy Ghost had come into […]
I would analyze the character of the boy is that he is very innocent and believes in everything that is told to him by his aunt or other people and he obeys all the orders of his aunt. In words I would describe the boy as honest, innocent, obedient, young, truthful and curious. The boy is different by the end of the story because in the start of the story the boy had believed what her aunt told him about Jesus but towards the end he waited and waited and had to lie to everyone that he saw Jesus even though he did not see Jesus and he had to lie about it to everyone in the church because they were all depending on him and waiting for him. That was when the boy realized that he was 12 year old and he should have not lied and deceived the people.
When I first read this piece, I was unsure of the topic and the purpose of this piece. The more I read, I became more enveloped in this story; seeing Estaban and what he meant to the village. In my previous English course, my professor focused on gender and its role in society. Although this annoyed me, as I thought “this is an English course not psychology or sociology”, it did open my eyes to subject matters outside of what I envisioned “English” and literature encompassed. In my opinion, perhaps this piece was assigned as a first reading, to broaden what we (I) envision as literature or english. The writing style itself caused me to reread a few times, but it also drew me into the story. Perhaps this piece was assigned in order to dip our toes into the waters of imaginative pieces; to open our view of different styles of writing. I personally enjoyed this piece. This writing provided me a different perspective, in the same way the people of the village gained a different perspective on life after “meeting” Estaban.
I would describe the boy in the story, “Salvation” by Langston Hughes, as trusting, faithful, anxious, and excited. I say he is trusting because when his aunt tells him what he should expect from the revival, he believes her with no doubt and has faith that something will happen to him inside and he will see this “light.” I would maybe also describe him as naive or innocent because when he hears everyone asking Jesus to come, there is this implied sense that he is truly excited and anxious to physically see Jesus. When he was the only one left that had not been saved, he says, “And I kept waiting serenely for Jesus, waiting, waiting – but he didn’t come. I wanted to see him, but nothing happened to me. Nothing! I wanted something to happen to me, but nothing happened,” to further show his innocence. By the end of the story, he is ashamed, no longer excited and lacks faith because he felt he had deceived everyone and no longer believes there is a Jesus anymore because he didn’t come to help him.
