In 1940 author Langston Hughes composed the famous short essay “Salvation” In his essay Hughes expressed a life changing event of realizing that even though he was brought up in a society of many God and Jesus believers, he himself has come to not believe. Young Hughes attended a “revival” with his aunt at her church. She had talked to him many times before about being “saved” and how he would see a light and hear and feel Jesus. At the “revival” Hughes and the other children were called up to be “saved”, in which most immediately went up. All except Hughes and one other boy. To try and encourage the two young boys to join, the congregation sing and pray loudly. The other young boy, Westley, finally got tired of waiting and walks up and joins the other children, leaving just Hughes. Hughes was still waiting for the light, and to hear and feel Jesus like his aunt described. ” And I kept waiting serenely for Jesus, waiting, waiting - but he didn't come. I wanted to see him, but nothing happened to me.” The congregation continued with song and prayer to encourage Hughes, but this time it was a bit more intense. Because Hughes didn’t want to take up anymore of everyone’s time he finally gets up and joins the other children to be “saved.” Afterward, that night in bed, Hughes cried because, “I couldn't bear to tell her that I had lied, that I had deceived everybody in the church, 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“(Hughes).

 

 

Works Cited

Hughes, Langston. "Salvation" The Literature Network, Web. 21 April 2015. <http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?67465-Salvation-A-short-essay-by-Langston-Hughes>.