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Analysis Of Salvation By Langston Hughes

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In our lives, we lie often times to escape intense situations. This correlates to the story, “Salvation” by Langston Hughes, which is about a twelve year old boy who lies about seeing Jesus. His lie allows him to be seen as a good christian. However, he soon discovers that he has questioned his beliefs and is unsure about them. “Salvation” is a serious story due to a little boy being peer pressured, which leads to challenging christian believes and sitting through a great deal of mourning. Peer pressure is an unbelievably widespread issue in today’s society, and can have many significant effects. In the story, “Salvation”, Hughes experiences peer pressure when his friend, Westley, lies about seeing Jesus. In the eighth paragraph of the story, “Salvation”, Hughes says that Westley is swinging his …show more content…

Hughes assumed that he is going to see Jesus as a real person; However, his aunt wants him to develop a spiritual connection with Jesus. In other words, children take things literal, while adults take things more into consideration dealing with emotions, feelings, and thoughts. Hughes lied to prevent himself being viewed as a disappointment. He didn't want to feel like a embarrassment to his aunt. At the end, Hughes develops guilt as he does not want to tell his aunt the truth. He cries due to this guilt when he goes home; However, his aunt thinks that he is crying due to seeing Jesus. At this point, Hughes is unsure of whether Jesus exists or not. Westley's lie and confidence causes Hughes to question the christian beliefs. Hughes was never taught how to form a mental and spiritual connection with God. His aunt expects him to know this and embrace it. The struggle of trying to live up to the expectations of the society justifies the development of guilt and condemnation of the christian

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