Langston Hughes Salvation Theme

Should there be some sort of experience when a sinner gets saved? There are those who say that nothing was felt when they first got saved. Salvation should be known for good experiences and not experiencing nothing. Langston Hughes wrote story titled “Salvation” who claims that nothing happened to him in his salvation experience. In “Salvation” Hughes demonstrates through characters’ perspectives how salvation in accepting Jesus as Lord is manipulated to be a religious act and not a genuine salvation. As the author, Hughes’ perspective of salvation contributes to the theme by believing in experiencing Jesus in his salvation. Hughes believed that when he sees Jesus he would be saved, but he did not see Jesus. Hughes states, “I was left all alone on the mourner’s bench” (346) because Hughes was waiting for a genuine experience with Jesus. As Hughes got saved because it was late in the day, he cried. Hughes writes, “But I was really crying because I couldn’t bear to tell her that I lied,” (346) also that this explains how Hughes again did not have a genuine experience with Jesus. Hughes’ salvation experience was so religious that Hughes “didn’t
Sister Reeds is the one who tells Hughes about the real Jesus experience and brings him to the revival. Sister Reeds contributes to the theme of salvation because she was the one who Hughes states “came and knelt at my knees and cried, while prayers and songs swirled all around me in the little church” (346). By doing this, Hughes got up to be saved. Also being religious, Sister Reeds hears Hughes crying, as Hughes says, “she woke up and told my uncle I was crying because the Holy Ghost had come into my life, and because I had seen Jesus” (346). Therefore Sister Reeds contributes to the theme of salvation because she has brought Hughes through a religious act of salvation, and not a genuine