I have never read a book by Langston Hughes prior to reading part of the book “Salvation” in my English class. My first thought of the part I read was that it was very interesting and very exciting and very shocking that I can be so into Mr. Langston Hughes feelings and writing.
As I read paragraph by paragraph I could feel the hairs standing up in the back of my head with thrill and excitement. The paragraph in which he describes his feeling of why he was crying and his doubt for Jesus was all too familiar in my younger years of life. I was very interested in this part because I felt his pain and confusion for having such high expectations and beliefs from what people explained what would happen when he was saved and it becoming a big disappointment and caused doubts when nothing happened.
There are many people that have the same exact reactions and feelings that Langston Hughes character had felt when Jesus never appeared and the peer pressure of everyone waiting for him to stand up and say he seen him was forced upon him to lie. Not only did his character stand there and wait with excitement and curiosity, he also held up the service refusing to lie that he had seen Jesus and was saved. When you read that particular part of the story when he was waiting you can tell that he was refusing to be like his friend and lie, he rather had wait to see if Jesus would come and everyone would be right about what should have happened. Since this did not happen the way it was told to him since he was small it causes major doubt not only in his family and his fellow church members but in his religion and his self.
Langston Hughes Character can change to be a different person in the future because of disappointment, doubt and having to fall into peer pressure to lie at such a young age. He may never find his Belief in Jesus again, He may never believe in his Church again, He may have self-doubt and believe he was not worthy