Langston Hughes Salvation

Most of us could look back and reminisce about our lives when we were twelve years old. Twelve, being an age where responsibilities and making difficult decisions are ultimately obsolete for many of us. This was not the case for Langston Hughes. In Langston Hughes’s short story personal narrative “Salvation”, he vividly describes the struggles he faced when being saved one evening in church. A young man who lost his faith after trying to appease adult perceptions of faith with his young mind.
It starts off with Hughes being taken to a huge revival meeting in his Auntie Reed’s church. Hughes had no idea what awaited him only that he and other children were going to be saved. In paragraph two of the short story Hughes states “My aunt told me that when …show more content…
Hughes and a boy named Westley were the only two left. It was very hot in the church, and so much time had passed by. Westley then whispered to Hughes and told him "God damn! I'm tired o' sitting here. Let's get up and be saved." Westley proudly stood up and joined the rest of the children at the altar. Hughes was now the only child left sitting at the mourner’s bench and at this point he described how he began to feel bad because he was holding everything up for so long and he did not want to disappoint anyone. Hughes acknowledges how God had not struck Westley dead for taking his name in vain or for lying. So he thought he might as well follow in Westley’s footsteps. Hughes got up and walked to the altar even though he did not feel or see Jesus. Everyone in the church rejoiced, because they figured Hughes was saved by Jesus but truth is he was far from saved. No one knew the guilt and confusion Hughes carried home with him. That night as he laid in his bed Hughes cried because he felt as if he deceived his auntie and everyone in the church. The main reason for this revival was salvation, but it left Hughes with many