Lisa Durante Discussion 3

In the beginning of “Salvation”, 12-year-old Langston attends a special meeting for the youth at his church and he is looking forward to being saved by Jesus, as promised by his aunt and the elders of his community. Young Langston seems to be eager to have this experience and doesn’t doubt the event will happen just as they have described it to him, as he expresses having trust in them for being wise due to their age. It then becomes apparent to young Langston, after he is the last child waiting to see Jesus, that it is not going to happen for him. He expresses feeling shame and guilt that everyone in the church is waiting and praying hard for his salvation, in vain, and eventually decides to lie that Jesus had come to him. The irony is that he was anxious for Jesus to be with him always and to join everyone else in the church who had all been saved, but he ended up feeling all alone. He describes the loneliness of spending what was supposed to be such a powerful, happy night crying alone in bed and not even being able to share the truth with his aunt.