Edward Benz 27 Times Summary

The literary work, Salvation by Langston Hughs, is part of a memoir recounting the events that can ultimately be identified as a catalyst for his loss of faith. The title, Salvation, refers to his belief that he had been saved from what had become, in his mind, a false belief system. The story itself encapsulates a caustic love for the finding of truth and the eradication of suspension of disbelief. This same concept is established in the song “Edward Benz, 27 Times” by La Dispute. The lyrics tell the true, chilling story of an old man’s upsetting past; triggering a life changing reaction from an unsuspecting hardware store clerk. In each literary work, both protagonists are left with a dampened and dwindling image of life and a deconstructed sense of hope. The story of Edward Benz starts when the Edward himself goes into a hardware store hoping to find someone that can help him fix a window at his son’s house. The old man is forgetful and seemingly innocent. He simply
His only job was to put it back on hinges. While he was fixing the screws they somehow got to talking; he told him of the house and how his son suffers from schizophrenia. They had purchased the house for him as a incentive for him to live a normal life. But his medication made him sleep too much and he could not keep a job as a result, so he gave up on taking it. When recalling the story, he starts to speak directly to Edward, “And you should know the feeling never left me-the weight of my heart-when you showed me the scars on your arms, when I looked in your eyes and I heard what you said how you probably would’ve died were it not for to care for your daughter and wife. How he drove in the knife, still your son.” This part of the song is indicative of the impact the story; the “weight” of his heart and the “feeling” that never left him portrays a resonation of a visceral and painful