The purpose of writing “Salvation” is to show the difference in the way of thinking between the young and old generation. Also to clarify the misconception of the older generation that the younger generation can easily comprehend and read in depth meaning to what they are told.
This is shown when Hughes and his aunt have different thought about what is expected of “Salvation” .”And I kept waiting serenely for Jesus, waiting ,waiting waiting but he did not come”. Literally Hughes was expecting to see Jesus and he was expecting him to come to him.
On the other hand his aunt (the older generation) thought Hughes was crying because he saw God. Another purpose is to show the irony of life, when others believe you have done something because you have experience the feeling when in actual fact you did it to save the day.” So I decided that maybe to save further trouble, I'd better lie, too, and say that Jesus had come, and get up and be saved .So I got up”. Langston loses his faith because of Auntie Reed. She tells him that "when you were saved you saw a light, and something happened to your insides!" Langston took this literally, expecting to actually see a light and to feel something happening in his body. When he doesn't see or feel anything after he's saved, Langston gives up on believing in Jesus because he believed his aunt's descriptions of salvation. His confusion worsens when Westley gets saved because he knows Westley didn't experience anything such as a light and is lying.
Abdulwahab 2 Langston goes up to be saved only because he doesn't want to disappoint the adults, and they are all telling him to come up and be saved. That night, Langston