Peer Pressure In Langston Hughes's 'Salvation'

People in their youth have events that affect the type of person they are in the future. It can range from a simple argument to a life threatening situation . One such event that many people have gone through is peer pressure. Langston Hughes is one who can argue for that. In his essay “Salvation” He argues that a person should not be forced into believing or feeling a certain way towards something,rather the person should make should make choices themselves based on their own reasons. In the essay “Salvation” by Langston Hughes, Hughes argues that one should make decisions themselves instead of being forced by other people in your life. At the start of the essay, Hughes explains to the reader that his aunt was excited about anl at church where kids would get saved. Seeing Jesus,Hughes aunt told him, means you are saved and have accepted Jesus into your life.Right there is where the pressure starts for

Hughes tells the reader he began to feel ashamed as he was the last child left. Hughes begins to examine the situation as it is unfolding. It is known to him that Westley lied about seeing Jesus because he was tired of sitting there. Hughes wondered after that why God himself has “not struck Westley dead” for lying. After examining all these events that occurred during the revival, he realises he will not see anything and should lie as well. Hughes getting up and lying shows the reader Hughes has lost faith and no longer believes in religion, as he resorted to lying. From these experiences, Hughes goes on to tell the reader “That night, for the first time in my life but one for I was a big boy twelve years old - I cried. I cried, in bed alone, and couldn 't stop.” (Hughes 187) Here, we can see how the events that occured that night impacted Hughes in a negative way that same night. From then on, everything was not the same for