The short story, salvation by Langston Hughes is about religion in his young life. His tale begins with a contradiction with utmost honesty, “I was saved from sin when I was going on thirteen. But not really saved” ( Huges, 2006). He, therefore, got “saved’ for his aunt, and not for his own soul. The reader is intrigued to know what the story is all about. From a child’s perspective, religion or Christianity is described as involving a series of singing, preaching and shouting”… a wonderful rhythmical sermon, all moans and shouts and lonely cries and dire pictures of hell, and then he sang a song about …” (Huges, 2006). From the story, i t was not logical for people to live in hypocrisy yet they still proclaimed religion.
Salvation illustrates social conformity as well as social pressures when it comes to religion. Most of the non-believers have mental pictures from testimonies of how the process is and should be like. “…when you were saved you saw a light, and something happened to you inside… Jesus came into your life! And God was with you from then on… could see and hear and feel Jesus in your soul” ( Huges, 2006). They expect some awakening and perhaps feel and see what they have been made to believe, which unfortunately does not align with their experiences. For instance, children should not be forced into decisions that they do not understand. They should be made aware of societal beliefs and religion in ways that do not portray duress as illustrated, “Langston, why don't you come? Why don't you come and be saved? Oh, Lamb of God! Why don't you come?" (Huges, 2006). The child is confused from the wailing of the old church women and deacons and decides to move to the altar. The scaring of children about what happens to them if not saved is manipulative, use of “and dire pictures of hell” in sermons by the elders makes little girls cry and run to the altar. The availability of a place for the sinners in the church is an expectation that individuals who sit there should get salvation when the preacher says so, and go to the altar “…mourners' bench with all the other young sinners…” (Huges, 2006).
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It brings out elements of religious hypocrisy in the society. For instance, the art of persuasion into Christianity is hypocritical and confusing. It brings out Christianity in a perspective different from the calmness and conservative nature of other religions. These believers are very convincing in many ways. The description of how salvation occurs points out this element. Langston is convinced he needs to attend the revival and see Jesus. He is convinced of what will happen to him during the process and is ready for it. He even sits through the prayers, the wailing, and the shouting to experience this, even after Wesley had left. The shouting while he rises to go to the altar and “see” Jesus is also a persuasive means for an end result, “the whole room broke into a sea of shouting, as they saw me rise. Waves of rejoicing swept the place. Women leaped in the air” (Huges, 2006) . The hypocrisy depicted in Wesley when he decides to go to the altar for the sake of the people and time“…’God damn! I'm tired o' sitting here. Let's get up and be saved.’ So he got up and was saved” ( Huges, 2006). Both didn’t have a clear understanding of the experience but pretend to, to save time and effort of the congregation and get done with. At night, Langston cries deeply due to the fact that he could not live with his hypocrisy, but it was otherwise according to the boys aunt “She woke up and told my uncle I was crying because the Holy Ghost had come into my life and because I had seen Jesus” (Huges, 2006).
Salvation brings out the honesty and naivety of non-believers in regard to religion. Through Langston, we understand what happens in the mind and life of those seeking salvation; their expectations, testimonies from the believers and their experiences in the face of salvation. We can, however, confirm that none of the expectations is met, or perhaps the testimonies are not true as depicted. Langston and Wesley do not “see” Jesus that they have been made aware of and longed to see. They are honest in their thoughts about the happenings. “I kept waiting serenely for Jesus, waiting, waiting - but he didn't come” ( Huges, 2006) . His aunt was naïve in explaining how salvation is or perhaps Langston’s literal naive understanding is shown when he sits and waits to see things happen as told. He is honestly disappointed in so many ways; among them is not seeing and feeling what he thought should be felt, he was disappointed in himself succumbing to salvation against his will because he felt guilty of embarrassing the congregation. According to Langston, because Wesley had not been punished by God for lying, he walked onto the altar with the thought that nothing perhaps usually happen. He was honest in his disappointment with God when He did not come to his rescue, “that I hadn't seen Jesus and that now I didn't believe there was a Jesus anymore since he didn't come to help me” ( Huges, 2006). Just as Langston, children understand when adults say unreal and untrue things to them, and then agree with the adults to keep the lie going. Wesley and Langston know well nothing has happened to them and choose to do as expected. The society, through religion, is breeding and nursing characters that are not biblical for the sake of the crowd and expanding the congregation.
Reference
Huges, L. (2006). Salvation a short essay by Longston Huges . Retrieved from http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?67465-Salvation-A-short- essay-by-Langston-Hughes
