In the excerpt “Salvation” by Langston Hughes, Langston was a boy who was being put up on the mourners bench along with other kids who had sinned. This was sort of a test for Langston because while sitting on the bench, Langston is seeing every other kid leave the bench ready to see Jesus but Langston was the last one still sitting on the mourners bench. In the story it says “Let’s get up and be saved.” So he got up and was saved.
Then I was left all alone on the mourners’ bench. My aunt came and knelt at my knees and cried, while prayers and song swirled all around me in the little church. The whole congregation prayed for me alone, in a mighty wail of moans and voices. And I kept waiting serenely for Jesus, waiting, waiting – but he didn’t come. I wanted to see him, but nothing happened to me”. This shows that Langston wanted to be saved by Jesus but due to the sins he committed it was taking longer than expected.
