What does snow symbolize in Langston Hughes's "On the Road"?
In Langston Hughes's short story "On the Road," Sargeant is an unemployed, homeless Black man who is looking for shelter on a snowy night. The story opens with the narrator explaining that Sargeant does not even notice the snow. The narrator claims that Sargeant doesn't see the snow or care about it, even though it is clearly coating him, "seeping down his neck, cold, wet, sopping in his shoes." The only explanation for this lack of awareness is that Sargeant is "too hungry, too sleepy, too tired."
The snow seems to represent external forces that affect Sargeant but that are not of his immediate concern. He is distracted by the more urgent needs of food and rest. The character's intense focus on finding a meal and a place to sleep take precedence over his need to worry about the snow that is covering his body. Even the...
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physical discomfort he surely must be, on some level, aware of is not enough to supersede the prominent feelings of fatigue and starvation.
The Reverend, however, notices the snow right away. As soon as he turns on his porch light, he is made aware of the natural phenomenon, along with the Black man approaching his door looking for help. The Reverend has his immediate needs of food, shelter, rest, and warmth met, so he is able to pay attention to the snow, while Sargeant is not.
The role of snow in the story seems to be to distinguish the circumstances of Sargeant from those around him. Although the other people he comes into contact with in the story are fortunate because they see the snow (because they have other worldly advantages that Sargeant does not enjoy), they still refuse to help him. The Reverend and the white people outside of the church do not come to his aid despite his obvious desperation. Sargeant's hallucination that he pulls the church down and Christ accompanies him, eager to flee the people and their church, suggests that the people who did not help—those who can see snow but apparently are capable of ignoring utter poverty—are not truly Christians. The ability to see snow seems to suggest the ability to discriminate, as well, as the Reverend does when he refuses to help Sargeant.
What does moonlight symbolize in Langston Hughes's "On the Road"?
I would argue that it is actually the lack of moonlight that is symbolic in "On the Road," demonstrating a world that lacks the presence of God.
Notice that as Sargeant moves toward the parsonage, it isn't moonlight that guides him. Instead, he follows the "bright lights of the main street" and then pauses as the Reverend turns on his "porch light." In both instances, the world is illuminated by manmade creations—not the moon, which represents the natural world of God. The Reverend then turns Sargeant away, sending him to one of the many relief shelters, which are overcrowded and overtaxed during the Depression.
The Reverend, who relies on the efforts of mankind to illuminate his physical world, is also caught up in the world of man—not of God's work, as is his duty. Christ, after all, commanded His followers to care for the destitute, the hungry, and the abandoned.
When Sargeant arrives at the church, he recognizes the stone crucifix of Christ, which is illuminated not by moonlight, but by "the street lights." Christ's values and teachings therefore stand in stark contrast to the "pale" lighting of man's world, and Sargeant is left feeling "lost."
Therefore, the lack of moonlight along Sargeant's journey symbolizes the Church's abandonment of true Christian principles, particularly in its dealings with society's most vulnerable members.