Student Question
What conflict does the narrator in Langston Hughes's "Salvation" experience and how does it build tension?
Quick answer:
In "Salvation," the narrator experiences a conflict over a misunderstanding about being saved by Jesus. He expects a literal vision, creating tension as the revival meeting drags on. The pressure intensifies as he and another boy are the last unsaved, leading Hughes to pretend, resulting in a profound sense of guilt and a loss of faith.
In “Salvation,” Langston Hughes describes an incident that took place when he was twelve years old; the poem's conflict centers around a misunderstanding about what it means to be saved by Jesus.
Hughes attends a revival at his aunt’s church. The meeting that night is especially geared toward children, who are invited to come forth and be saved. Hughes has listened to his aunt talk about seeing the light and meeting Jesus, and he takes her literally. He thinks that he will really see a light and meet Jesus, so he waits until this happens.
The meeting drags on and on, and only Hughes and one other boy are left on the bench not yet saved. The conflict is deep within Hughes by this point, for he is waiting to see Jesus. The tension builds as the other boy decides to pretend to be saved just to get the meeting over with. Hughes does not want to do this. By this point, people are weeping and praying for him, and he is horribly embarrassed. He finally decides that the only way the meeting will ever end is for him to pretend, too.
This is a costly choice, for Hughes knows that he is lying, and that night he cries. He feels that he has lost his faith entirely because he still does not realize that he has misunderstood what being saved and meeting Jesus is really about.
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