Tony Ng Wu Discussion 3

The character of the boy in Langston Hughes’ “Salvation” is a complex one. At first, the boy is shown to be naive, easily influenced, and idealistic. Even though he is only a child, he has a strong religious belief and is very dedicated to what his grandmother taught him. He also wants to know more about the idea of salvation and is eager to do so. But he is also a little bit rebellious because he doesn’t want to do what the church says or what his peers expect of him. By the end of the story, the boy’s life has changed in a big way. His idealism has been broken, and a more mature view of the world has taken its place. He has lost hope because he has learned that salvation doesn’t come from a single event or religious ritual. Instead, it comes from a long-term effort. He is also more open to the idea that the beliefs of his peers might be different from his own, and he is willing to embrace the fact that people have different ideas.