We know by the language and perspective of the narrators that Both “Salvation” and “Araby” are coming-of-age stories told by an adult looking back on a painful childhood experience that results in an epiphany. What is the epiphany that occurs in “Salvation? What is the epiphany that occurs in “Araby?” Please address comments to others by name so that we can all follow along.
52 thoughts on “Week 1 Discussion”
Sabrina Mukhtarova
01/04/2021
The epiphany that occurs in ”Salvation” in a moment when Langston realized that he lied to his aunt and everyone in the church. That moment he stop believing in Jesus because he did not come to help and that he did not see him.
The epiphany that occurs in ”Araby” is when a boy realized that what he thought he saw was his just imagination.
Sabrina, thank you for starting off the discussion! You are correct in what you write here, but please review the requirements for discussion board posts in “Information about Discussion Boards in COURSE INFORMATION on the OpenLab site. I want you to get full credit for your posts, and there are specific length requirements.
thank you for your comment!
I will look up for course information))
In the essay “Salvation” Langston is forced into believing in God and is told he needs to see Jesus. The epiphany occurs when he realized that he got so scared and was forced to lie about Jesus just so he isn’t ashamed and treated differently.
In the essay ”Araby” the epiphany occurs when the boy reaches the bazaar and he realizes that everything he associated with the bazaar is a mirage and it’s not the place of color and romance that he had originally thought it was.
Aida, thank you for posting on the first day! Your comment about the epiphany in “Araby” is very good, but I think the epiphany in “Salvation” is more profound than the fact that the narrator lies. What is the larger realization the boy has when Jesus does not appear to him? Please see my comment to your colleague Sabrina (above). There are specific length requirements for the discussion boards, which can be found in COURSE INFORMATION on the main menu. Scroll down to “Information about Discussion Boards.” You can post again to get full credit.
Hello Professor,
Thank you so much for your feedback. I will change the length of the post and make another one and also thing more deeply about the epiphany in ”Salvation”.
What is the epiphany that occurs in “Salvation? What is the epiphany that occurs in “Araby?”
The epiphany that Hughes has in “Salvation” as he writes in the first person as a 13-year-old boy, is the cruel realization that God abandoned him. At the beginning of the story we are introduced to a hopeful young Langston who has was partially saved by God. As he proceeds to explain his experience of the day his aunt decided he should be “taken to the fold” or church to be saved, young Hughes explains his elation. We embody his hopefulness and excitement by the exclamation point when he says, “Jesus comes into your life!” when you are saved. The prospect of joy once Jesus lives inside you, when saved, made you hopeful for him too. However, as the story proceeds, we see this light dim down as he explains his dying hope because he never sees the promised light and Jesus! He then questions the reality of God, when he sees his friend amongst the saved adults not be struck down by his blasphemy. Having waited long enough for Jesus to come, he decides to lie as well. At night alone in his bed a big boy cries at the realization that he was not saved because God abandoned him when he needed him. It was that day that Langston Hughes became an atheist.
The epiphany in the “Araby” is that the drive of young love and lust can be easily deflated by life’s events. We read about a young boy that has developed a crush on a friend’s sister. This desire for her love to return is driven after their conversation when he offers to bring her back a souvenir from a bazaar that only he will be attending. When the event comes, and he is delayed by his uncle’s tardy arrival. As soon as he rushes out with the money he has been given to make it to the bazaar to buy his crush a gift, however he gets there too late and most of the stalls have closed, preventing him to buy his crush a gift that can equal his affection to be able to win her favor in return. Disappointed he realizes his ego got the best of him.
Hello, Andrea! I believe that the young Langston was more excited about seeing the light and Jesus rather than being saved. He was waiting for a face to face occurrence but when he saw Westley go unpunished by God for lying in church, he too decided to end his dilemma although he was heartbroken about it.
I concur with you about the young love in the “Araby”. The conversation with the girl elevated his feelings which is why he promised her a souvenir when he came back from the bazaar. He cannot afford anything on sale hence he feels like a failure.
Hello Andrea
thank you for a brief explanation of this two wonderful stories. After reading your answer I got more and useful informations about this specific question. I believe that Langston was waiting to see the lights and that way he thought he would be saved from sin but moreover I thing every single person must believe to something from heart in that we he/she might be happiest person.
Andrea Alban, this is a detailed and great way to describe their loss or realization. On my next discussion I’m going to take inspiration on how you wrote your Discussion post. But like the professor says is more a loss of hope then ego.
What is the epiphany that occurs in “Salvation? What is the epiphany that occurs in “Araby?”
The epiphany that occurs in “Salvation” is that the narrator realized that he that he has lost faith. As in the beginning of the article, he mentioned that he was saved but not really saved. Narrator was told that Jesus would come to him, but nothing happened. He felt ashamed because he did not see or feel anything. He had a high expectation and faith in God, but things did not go the way he wanted. He started questions about himself and as the existence of God. As a child, he came to realize that he was abandoned by Jesus who did not come to save him, and he was not saved.
The epiphany that occurs in “Araby” is when the boys stands in the dark bazaar, he realized his efforts have been wasted. The girl of his dream, the full of promise and romance are all gone. The young boy has developed a crush on his friend’s sister. The girl of his dreams has told him she cannot attend bazaar. The boy promised her that he would bring something back for the girl. By the time he arrives, the market is dark and mostly empty just like how he was feeling. “Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger.” He is disappointed as all he has dreamed of bazaar did not correspond with the reality of life.
Maggie, thank you for the very good comments on the two coming-of-age stories. I wish you could elaborate a bit on your final remark that “the bazaar did not correspond with the reality of life.” This is very true, but why is this so? It leads to other question. Does the boy’s idea about the girl correspond with the reality of life? How are the boy’s ideas about the bazaar and the girl intertwined?
Thank you so much for the wonderful interpretation of the epiphany for “Araby”. After re-reading it, I realized how dull and depressing his interpretation of his childhood home and upbringing is for the main protagonist. Evident on how he opens up his first paragraph and describes his home and neighborhood as one that he wished he was “blind” so that he could not see how sad and dull it really is. The fact that he wanted his infatuation to escape the drudgery and dullness of his life to yet come to another disappointment was heart wrenching.
Andrea, thanks for the follow-up. Please be sure to address comments to others by name so we can follow along. This request goes for everybody!
Dear Maggie,
I find your points of young Hughes feeling shame and abandonment for not seeing his holy figure heartbreaking, but I do agree. Usually one thinks of shame as a feeling caused by wrong doing, instead this young lambs cries of guilt for feeling as if he mislead the church by saying he saw what wasn’t there. This could possible be a projection he feels for being mislead by his Aunt Reed and the church, taking the revival literally. As for your point on “Araby” I completely agree. At first, it was confusing for me to see Joyce’s epiphany, but after things did not go right for him, I understood the feeling of despair as he was trying to do something nice for someone nice. The overwhelming feeling he felt when he saw Mangan’s sister was shadowed by that overwhelming feeling of disappointment being unsuccessful at the bazaar, and reminded of how easy it was to fall into that bleak state in the beginning.
In the story Salvation, Langston Hughes speaks about his spiritual dilemma. He acted in conformity to avoid being an outsider within the church halls. He realized the epiphany of lying is what made him feel complete guilt. He understood that telling his aunt what he had done would put him on the outskirts of his religion. His lie made him realize that he didn’t experience what everyone else was experiencing, rather it became now onto who he thought Jesus was. His choice deprived him of peer pressure but after making that choice he realized that he could avoid that bad feeling he had during that moment but it made him feel worse after.
In the story Araby, a young boy in Dublin imagines the bazaar in Dublin to be an exotic place of excitement. Little did he know he pretty much set himself up for failure to arrive at the bazaar at the last minute. The boy’s epiphany is found at the end of the passage where it mentions himself feeling false hope and gloomy emotions towards the expectations of the bazaar in Dublin. He fantasized the market to be more than what it was. Maybe if he arrived earlier to the market his perception would’ve been correct of what he fantasized the bazaar to be.
Marowa, thanks for the good comments. Please just be sure to use quotation marks for the titles of stories. With respect to your remarks, I think the larger epiphany in “Salvation” goes beyond guilt about lying. Check out the last line of the story and see if you agree. In “Araby,” as I mentioned to Andrea, the epiphany is also more profound than a shattered fantasy about the bazaar. Isn’t it also a shattered fantasy about the girl? Does he really know this girl? Do they have an actual relationship? Why might this orphaned boy have the need to create a fantasy to sustain himself? What does this girl represent to him? Just some questions for everyone to consider.
Hey Marowa,
I completely agree with Langston having a spiritual dilemma leading to questioning his beliefs. I enjoyed reading your interpretation of the story of Araby and I also believe that because of his fantasies of the bazaar he realized the disappointment of the place and romance.
Sheila—and everyone—please read “Information about Discussion Boards” in COURSE INFORMATION for length requirements. I want everyone to get full credit!
Hello, Marowa. I agree Langston felt obligated to lie and to fit in with everyone. I think seeing his friend go to the other side when he also didn’t see Jesus he didn’t think of it. I think he felt guilty because doing that made him feel like he lost his faith. And in “Araby” going to the bazaar and buy something for the girl he liked gave him a little bit of happiness in his dark surrounding.
In the story “Salvation” by Langston Hughes, the epiphany the young thirteen-year-old boy had, was the realization that he wasn’t spiritually enlightened. After his aunt explained that he would know that he was saved when “he saw the light” the boy was expecting a spiritual awakening at the church’s revival. But these comments his aunt made had the opposite effect on him, he felt betrayed and abandoned by Jesus because he didn’t come to “save” him during the revival. He watches his friend wait for the same sing’s as him but in the end, they both folded to the peer pressure of everyone in the church screaming and crying for them to be “saved”. At the end of this passage, he further and more specifically said that he no longer believed in Jesus.
In the story “Araby” by James Joyce, the epiphany the boy had was the realization that his desire to have a relationship with this girl he likes might just be a fantasy just like the bazaar. The boy had a couple of hurdles to go through before he was able to get to the bazaar but when he finally got there he realized how empty it was. I believe the author is trying to symbolize how his attempt to impress this girl is also empty because he doesn’t really know her, he just wanted to fulfill his affection towards this girl he has barely spoken to.
Patric, I like this phrase of yours: “. . .the epiphany the boy had was the realization that his desire to have a relationship with this girl he likes might just be a fantasy just like the bazaar.” This is very true. Now the question is why the boy has the need to create these fantasies in the first place. What imagery accompanies these fantasies? What do they mean in his life? And what happens once these life-sustaining fantasies are extinguished?
The epiphany in “Salvation” by Langston Hughes is the realization that salvation is not a physical thing hence the disbelief of Langston as a boy that Jesus did not exist. When all the young ones were assembled on the mourners’ bench to receive Jesus, Langston waited eagerly both for a physical light to appear to him then Jesus would follow just as his aunt had told him. He is the last one to get saved as he realizes that Jesus will never come. He cries at night because he feels betrayed by Jesus besides deceiving everyone in church.
The epiphany in “Araby” by James Joyce is that of a young boy’s first love experience filled with confusion and desire. The boy is friends with the girl’s brother Mangan and she seems to be slightly older than him. The young boy did not comprehend his feelings but he acknowledged the girl’s effect on him silently. He promised to bring her a gift from the bazaar but he got delayed on the D-day hence he could not afford to buy anything with the little money remaining in his pocket. He felt angry that he would not fulfil his promise to the girl.
Hey Aman, hoping that you’re doing well!
I noticed that you associate the epiphany in “Araby” like just a kid with a heart broken that couldn’t make the promise that he made to the girl that he has a crush on. Nevertheless, I think that this particular story has a deep meaning that you are missing. To begin with, the little kid is living in a world of monotony that is involving school responsibilities, family problems and the Dublin delay trains. Which led him to want to leave that reality that he is facing by experimenting new feelings, such as love and joy. There’s when he promised this little girl to buy a nice gift at the Bazaar, because it was a place that he has never been before and going there would mean escape for his reality. However, here is when the epiphany arrives, since he has arrived at the place tardy, while the stalls are closing their little stores, he can perceive that there is no track of the romantic and joyful scene that he used to imagine. As a consequence of his epiphany, the boy becomes completely disappointed, angry, and disgraceful. He immediately fell back into the regular life that he had tried so hard to get away from.
I didn’t think about his outlook on the scene of the bazaar and agree that the interaction with the booth worker may have been more of a deterrent. It is noted that she asks simply out of obligation which does take entirely away from the romantic aura of happiness and choice.
DiAndreah, please address comments to others by name. Also read “information about Discussion Boards” in COURSE INFORMATION.
In “Salvation”, Langston had been told that he was a sinner and that he could be saved once he saw the light and accepted Jesus in his life. After spending hours waiting for Jesus to come, and feeling pressure from the congregation being the only one who has not been saved, he got up despite not seeing Jesus. Upset over his dishonesty, Langston realized the Jesus was not real because he did not come when he needed him. In “Araby” by James Joyce, the narrator describes his fondness for a girl. When they have a chance to speak, they discuss how she is unable to go to the bazaar in town and promises to buy something for her. This becomes his only objective and focuses on the day he can buy something to please her. When he arrives at the bazaar, most of the shops are closed and he can not find anything for his crush. Then left there in the dark, he reflects on actions and how all his efforts have been for nothing.
Eugene, thanks for the post. Your take on “Salvation” is well expressed. However, as I’ve said to many others, I think you need to take a closer look at “Araby.” This isn’t just a story about a boy who doesn’t get the girl. I don’t want to keep repeating myself, but there are many questions need to ask about why this narrator fixates on this unattainable girl. What does she represent to him? What does his quest for a gift for her mean? What does he realize when he arrives at the bazaar that goes far beyond his inability to buy a gift?
Hey Eugene, I believe that the story “Araby” by Lanston Hughes has a deeper meaning. The protagonist in the story has been fantasizing about this girl he has never spoken to. When he finally gets the chance to speak to her he doesn’t try to get to know her he decides to try and impress her instead. When he finally gets to the bazaar and realizes it’s empty, he starts to reflect on his attempt at some affection and how empty his attempt was.
Hi Eugene,
I think in “Araby”, the girl represent as the only light he has in his darkness. As in the beginning of the article, author mentions the boy lives on a blind street, an dead alley. We don’t really know why the boy is living with aunt and uncle. But it makes the reader questions on what has happened to the boy. I think at the end of the boy was left in the dark, he realize his feelings weren’t love and his knowledge of adulthood.
For this first week, we had two interesting readings that I enjoyed. The first is “Salvation” by Langston Hughes. As a young boy, the character of this story felt the pressure to be able to see Jesus when he and his friends go to church to be saved. His aunt and the members of the church pushed him to show that he has been saved. The little kid put all his effort to make that happen but it doesn’t happen, since salvation is not something to hope to actually happen. In fact, to achieve this you have to have a deep faith in God. At his age, the young boy doesn’t understand it, thus he started to become frustrated because this “salvation” is not happening to him. There’s where the epiphany arrives, in order to release the pressure of his aunt and the members of the church, he lies about it. Nevertheless, his aunt and his family are really excited about his leap of faith but that night they didn’t have the faintest idea that the little boy Hughes was crying like a baby. He started to feel concerned about the act that he did and his incapacity to find his faith. On the other hand, we have “Araby” by James Joyce, which is a interesting story to look at deeply. To begin with, the young boy was excited about going to the bazaar and buying Mangan’s sister, the girl he’s profoundly in love with, a pretty gift. Thus, he associates the bazaar and the thoughts about his friend’s sister with joy, romance, excitement and happiness. Nevertheless, when the kid finally arrives at the bazaar, he experiences an epiphany in which he notices that all the good feelings that he used to have related to the bazaar were all just like an oasis, a mere illusion. He has arrived at the place too late, while the stalls are closing their little stores. In darkening the hall, he can perceive that there is no track of the romantic and beautiful scene that he used to imagine. There are just traders packing their wares, ready to be sold the next day. As a consequence of his epiphany, the boy becomes completely disappointed, and actually not only that. In fact, he feels angry, disgrace and harm. All at once, he was abruptly thrown back into the everyday life he’d worked so hard to escape.
Great post both reading were remarkable but personally I enjoyed “Salvation” because I have heard stories not the same but quite similar. Overall your post help understand better the story “Araby” because for some reason I had to re-read it and it was a bit difficult to comprehend , but your explanation help me clear my mind especially on the part where he was on his way to the bazaar and everything that happened after. Thanks.
Cesar, please address comments to others by name so we can all follow along. Thanks!
Adriana, thank you for your good post. There are some great observations here. I would say, however, that the epiphany in “Salvation” is not about his lie but rather about his new conviction that Jesus does not exist. “Araby” is a difficult story for a lot of readers. Your last sentence says so much about what happens at the end of this story. Readers have to consider why being flung back into “the every life he’d worked so hard to escape” is such a devastating outcome. Why does this young narrator need to escape so desperately? What is his life like? With whom does he live? Why is the girl, whom he barely knows, so important in his daily life? How is the girl connected to the bazaar? In what ways are his fantasies about the girl and his fantasies about the bazaar similar? Why is his epiphany such a profoundly shattering event?
Hello Adriana, the epiphany in “Araby” did not become clear to me as it did in “Salvation”. The boy spends a great deal of time describing the girl he has fallen for and how he wishes to please her. How his day-to-day life has been and the situation he was in had gone unnoticed to me. He clung on to the idea of pleasing this girl to bring hope back into his life. Instead of merely feeling empty that he did not have a chance to buy something for his crush, the time in the darkness was also a sort of snap-back into the life he wanted to escape from.
The epiphany that happen in “Salvation” is when Langston had to lied to his family and those in the church about not been able to see god because he did not want to be embarrassed since he was not saved by God. In that exact moment Langston began asking question “how many people have lied?” or “is it even real?”, as we saw the guy that was next to him near the end did not believe in God and still got up and said he saw God. If people can just claim the saw God, then why should he be forced to believe in it.
The epiphany that happen in “Araby” is about the boy who had a crush on one of his friends sister, but as the story progresses we as an audience can see that the young boy is feeling like all the effort and work he was doing to make something good for both of them was all going south. He promises his crush a gift from the bazaar, but his Uncle late arrival delayed a lot and by the time he was able to get the money and go to the place it was too late and everything was close causing him to realize everything he planned with her it was not going to happend.
Hello Cesar,
I totally agree with you about Langston and that he didn’t want to be embarrassed because he couldn’t see God.
I think that in ”Araby”, we can also see the moment when he arrives to the bazaar, he realizes that his feelings were not really love, that his desires and the market itself were not at all special or exotic, and that he was driven by vanity and a desire for approval.
Cesar, I like how you invite us into the mind of the protagonist of “Salvation,” describing in your own words the process of thought that leads to his ultimate realization. However, with respect to “Araby,” as I’ve said to a few others, I hope you will revisit the story and maybe the short lecture on the Week 1 page for a larger appreciation of what actually happens in this quite profound story.
I will do that prof.
In the essay “Salvation” Langston is forced into believing in God and is told he needs to see Jesus. The epiphany occurs when on that day, Hughes entered the church with the expectation that he would see Jesus, because everyone told him that it would happen. Instead, he walked away disappointed, guilty, and not even believing in Jesus. Hughes thought he was going to actually see Jesus, and after a while when he didn’t see him, he lied about it just so he could be “saved”. He was a child and still had a sense of surprise that he would actually see Jesus, which ultimately disappointed him. He also realized that he had been abandoned by Jesus who had not come to save him, and he was not saved.
In the essay ”Araby” the epiphany occurs when the boy reaches the bazaar and he realizes that everything he associated with the bazaar is a mirage and it’s not the place of color and romance that he had originally thought it was.
The epiphany that occurs in “Salvation” by Langston Hughes is after lying about seeing “the holy ghost” he cried of guilt because he has not seen Jesus and deceived everyone in the church. The epiphany was Langston’s belief changing because he wasn’t “saved” by Jesus.
The epiphany that occurs in “Araby” is the realization of himself when he looks and giving up on the love he has for his friend’s older sister because the bazaar wasn’t a place of romance leading to the boy ultimately being let down.
Sheila, what you write here is all very true. However, in order to receive full credit, all posts must meet the length requirement. Please review “Information about Discussion Boards” in COURSE INFORMATION on the top menu.
The epiphany in “Salvation” is about a 13 year old boy who at first believes that god is besides him and he is opposed to being saved by god. However, later on in the reading the boy feels that god is actually doing the complete opposite and neglecting him; as well as his needs and wants. He realized that Westley had gotten away with lying in church but, after deciding to do so as well he felt guilty. He began to feel as if Jesus was not coming to save him from this tragedy which also allowed him to feel ashamed and have lack of faith for and by god.
The epiphany in “Araby” is about a young boy in love with his friend’s older sister. He expresses his feelings about this love of his. He explains that he is trying to get a souvenir for the girl but, cannot afford it and feels unaccomplished.
In the short story “Salvation” narrated by Langston Hughes the epiphany that occurs is that Langston realize that Jesus is not coming to save him. From what her aunt said he was every excited to be saved by Jesus but at the end when he was the last one left he felt obligated to show that he was saved by Jesus. Later he realized going to the platform without being saved by Jesus he felt like betrayed everyone and this made him feel like he lost his faith.
In the short story “Araby” narrated by James Joyce the epiphany that occurs when the boy goes to the bazaar and it doesn’t look like as he imagined it would look like. His friend’s sister whom he liked wanted to go to the bazaar but couldn’t so he said he would go for her. The little light that he thought going to the bazaar would give him was gone when he reached there. He thought giving something to girl he liked would bring him a sense happiness.
Meherun, your response to “Salvation” is clear and concise and expresses well what happens at the end of the story. I hope you will revisit “Araby” and maybe read some of the comments I have made to others about this story. It is not a love story. It is really about a boy searching for light and meaning in his bleak life. You might also want to review the short lecture about the story on the Week 1 page.
While an innocent Langstong Hughes looks back on a sacred gathering in his aunt’s church, he highlights emotions of disappointment and loneliness after firmly hanging on to his faith. Hughes starts by noting how this revelation, or epiphany, saves him from falling into disbelief again. During this sacred gathering, Langston refers to it as “a big revival…” being one of many revivals in the church, the difference being his participation and excitement to be brought to Jesus. Hughes’ aunt promised him a light, having Jesus come into his soul, and “God was with you from then on!”. The young follower anticipated his savior and his aunt’s fantasy to play out, describing the ceremony as “a wonderful rhythmical sermon..” On this occasion, many of the adults refer to the children as young lambs in the midst of sin. After the preachers calls on the young lambs to follow his direction, Hughes knew that he was waiting for what was portrayed to him. As he kept waiting, Hughes couldn’t help but dread the church’s chants without a holy appearance in sight, feeling bad for holding up his turn. This young lamb couldn’t help but feel shame as others urged him to come forward, like a shy kid scared to play with strangers, Hughes was scared to join the others that claimed to have seen Jesus. Pointing out the expressions others had like the rounder’s son, Westly, “sitting proudly…grinning down at me…” This was a turning point for Langtson as he not only began to question his faith, but what would God think of Westly who claim to have seen what he hasn’t. To Langston, it was a matter of being seen as a believer and not wanting to wait any longer. As he weeps later that night, Hughes expresses his grief for lying to the church, and the irony of Jesus did not come into his life.
Feeling nothing but the same dullness daily, James Joyce feels like he’s roaming lost or unaccomplished in the North Richmond Streets. Joyce uses imagery to describe the bleak state he undergoes: describing winter as dark and cold, houses turning somber, and reminensse of death with the passing of a tenant. It wasn’t until Mangan’s sister sparked his attention. He found her entertaining and helpful. Enchanted by her shadow, Joyce found a light by her and was charmed. Through the dullness around him, James was finally able to feel something watching Mangan’s sister as her beauty was rare to him. Over time, Joyce’s emotions were noticeable as he describes an overwhelming feeling when he sees her pass. James soon gathered the courage to talk to this girl and felt they had a connection strong enough to make him memorable. “The high, cold, empty, gloomy rooms liberated me and I went from room to room singing.” After talking some more, James and Mangan’s sister become acquainted enough and James decides to get her a souvenir from Araby. Heading to the bazaar, he was unsuccessful with the promise he made to this enchanting girl, after being disappointed by those who were to help him go to the bazaar and those working in the bazaar. At the end of his trip, he notices a familiar darkness that surrounded him in the beginning. “Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger.” Based on the last two pages of the short story, it would appear that the people, or lack thereof, trouble his clarity to find the joy in company. This may be the revelation that Sir Joyce stumbles upon after feeling misunderstood and unable to express his desires.
(Apologies for pushing the due date on this assignment professor)
Stephanie, thanks for posting. You seem to have a very good sense of the mood and atmosphere of both stories. I’m a bit confused, however, by your comment that the narrator in “Savation” notes that his epiphany “saves him from falling into disbelief again.” Isn’t the realization at the end of the story that he no longer believes in Jesus? You get very close to the real meaning of “Araby” in your description of how the girl provides a source of light in the boy’s life. You also come very close to expressing what happens at the end when a familiar darkness seems to fall over the boy. But I am not clear on what you feel the boy’s epiphany is. Also, please note that in fiction narrator and author are not the same. The author, James Joyce, created the narrator to tell the story. In the case of “Salvation,” the narrator actually is Langston Hughes because this story is an excerpt from a memoir, which is an actual recounting of events in his life. Also, James Joyce is not a “Sir.” He was Irish.
In Araby the epiphany occurs in my opinion relatively late in the story when after being infatuated with Mangan’s sister the narrator comes to the realization that he may not be actually able to satisfy the needs of his crush as he had hoped.
In Salvation the epiphany occurs when the narrator of the essay Langston Hughes does not see a light as described to him. Langston soon realizes that in order to be accepted in the church and treated fairly that he has to lie about seeing God and truly believing in his existence through Jesus or a ‘light’.
For Langston Hughes in “Salvation” the epiphany or realization he has is that God or jesus was not real, because of him not seeing Jesus and being saved.The epiphany in “Araby” the boy realizes that was he thought he has seen is a figment of his imagination.
This isn’t long enough so I’m going to lengthen it
For Langston Hughes in “Salvation” He made a huge realization at a young age. He had the epiphany that the religion him and his family might not be real. This epiphany coming from two separate stages of realization. The first coming from Westley’s reaction and lack of action by God or Christ. The second coming from not seeing the light of God or Jesus, then lying about seeing Christ. This solidified the notion in Young Langston’s head that god isn’t real.
The boy in “Araby” Made a different realization. The boy walking to school everyday falls in love in a childlike manner. He would run past her in the morning on the way to school. Wanting to get his crush a gift he goes to the bazaar. He goes to this to late though because his Uncle arrive to give him money later than expected. When he gets to the bazaar it only has items that are more expensive than he could buy. So he lost hope
The short story By Langston Hughes, “Salvation,” narrates a story of a young boy’s deception of faith, religion, and maybe even adults. In this story, the young boy’s aunt explains how he will be saved, and that light and or Jesus will appear once saved from sin. Which he takes in literal words. As he sits at the church waiting for this light or Jesus to show up to save him from sin, he feels “ashamed of himself” because he was the last person who had not been saved, and as the hours passed and it was getting late, he decides to get up to be saved as expected to do so. In the last paragraph of “Salvation,” we see the epiphany for the young boy when he realizes that he no longer believes in religion. Because Jesus did not come to help him, we read of the anguish, it has caused him, that he too had lied not only to his aunt but also to everyone at the church. The young boy goes in with faith, expecting to be saved, and comes out feeling ashamed, guilt, and not having the same faith he had coming in.
The story “Araby,” by James Joyce, talks about a young boy infatuation with a slightly older young woman and how his feelings for this young woman blinded him to the darkness that surrounded him. The epiphany in this story results in a realization of spirit, and disillusionment or disappointment, which happened when he went Araby to the bazaar, a place the young woman had mentioned. Even though she could not attend, he was determined to make it there and get her gift. However, when he arrived at the bazaar, it was as dark as to where he came from. Perhaps it was because he arrived late, or he just had a different vision and expected the same blindness he had for his hometown as he had for the bazaar. In the very last paragraph, it tells the reader how he felt, and he no longer had the drive he had prior to going to the bazaar; he saw the absolute darkness that surrounded him.