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 my life, and because I had seen Jesus. But I was really crying because I couldn’t bear to tell her that I had lied, that I had deceived everybody in the church, that I hadn’t seen Jesus, and that now I didn’t believe there was a Jesus anymore, since he didn’t come to help me.” The ending of the chapter really stood out to me because I realized how he changed his perspective in “belief” after not seeing Jesus. He showed growth by understanding that, in his opinion, in order for something to be real, it has to be seen. Which, since he did not physically see Jesus, he no longer believed.
