Salvation, by Langston Hughes

In Langston Hughes' "Salvation" (1940), Hughes' talks about the revival that was happening in his Auntie Reed's Church during that time.  He talks about the sights and sounds of the church as it was looking to "bring the young lambs to the fold."  After a song the preacher said, "Won't you come? Won't you come to Jesus?"

Hughes kept waiting on the “mourner’s bench”.  Soon everyone on the "mourner's bench" had went to the platform to receive Jesus.  Hughes’ didn’t want to wait any longer and lies about receiving Jesus just to get the ceremony over with.  Later, Hughes starts crying because he felt he deceived his Aunt about being saved. 

          The personal narrative of Langston Hughes’ Salvation was well written and gave a glimpse into what happens during the revivals of the 1940’s.  The preacher wanted Hughes’ to come to Jesus by asking, “Won’t you come to Jesus (Page 69)?”  But, Hughes interprets it as Jesus coming to him by saying, “And I kept waiting serenely for Jesus, waiting, waiting – but he didn’t come (Page 70).”  Hughes later states he didn’t believe there was a Jesus anymore, but I guess he never really wanted to come to Jesus.