The narrator in this story is Langston and his perspective regarding “being saved” varies throughout his experience. Initially, Langston is very excited about the idea of becoming ‘saved’. It’s been described to him as joyous, internal awakening and his Aunt Reeds excitement becomes infectious, making Langston very excited about having said experience. During the revival, the narrator view shifts and gives us the perspective from the other youth on the bench, the congregation, his Aunt Reed and ultimately back to Langston. I believe this is done to give us an idea of how excited a moment this is for various people throughout the church, but to also give us the idea of how large an audience Langston is having this experience with. It’s a lot for any kid to take in, especially one who is confused and on the spot. By the end, Langston seemed embarrassed and just went along with things so he didn’t embarrass himself further. Later he was disappointed because he wasn’t truthful with the congregation. He went from being very excited to disappointed by the end.
Amanda Nembhard
While there was nothing specific about the story, that made me pause and wonder why the reading was assigned, nonetheless I’m glad it was. It was a very nice and easy, dreamy read and that could be reason enough, it’s just a pleasant story. but maybe if i had to chose a concrete idea, I noticed that the people of the village seemed a bit isolated and when they finally came across ‘someone’ new they were excited. Which is also a bit similar to today’s social interactions. Many of us have been isolated for over a year and are finally interacting with people outside of our “pods or villages”. Which I believe has made us more curious and empathetic towards one another. I think that’s also why in the story, the people of the village were so kind and doting, when it came to this unknown person. The villagers cleaned him, dressed and named him which humanized him more.
