A Great Ironic Story

  Langston Hughes’ Salvation is indeed a great ironic story. Ironies run through the whole story from the beginning to the end and lie not only in details but also in the general structure and the central idea.

  The story starts with a seeming contradiction “I was saved …but not really saved’’. In fact, this seeming contradiction implies the central irony that all the people thought Langston was saved by God but in contrast with their idea he experienced the trauma and disillusionment. And the end of the story indicates and echoes the irony that Langston’s aunt said he was crying because the Holy Ghost had come into his life and because he had seen Jesus. But Langston was really crying because he had deceived everybody and he didn’t believe there was a Jesus any more. The whole story shows an irony that at the beginning Langston was firmly convinced that there was God, but after the special meeting for children, “to bring the young lambs to the fold”, he didn’t believe there was a Jesus any longer.

  Salvation is a great ironic story, for Langston showed many small but significant ironic details and even the words were painstakingly selected and meaningful. Firstly, the revival was held at Langston’s aunt’s church and his aunt had spoke of it for days ahead and Langston was escorted to the front row, but he was the last child “saved” by Jesus. Secondly, Langston at first believed his aunt and believed the old people ought to know, so he believed he could see and hear and feel Jesus, but in fact no Jesus came to help him. Thirdly, Langston had been waiting calmly and serenely for Jesus, but the whole congregation prayed in a mighty wail of moans and minister said unceasingly to him “why don’t you come to Jesus?” So at last he had to lie that he had seen Jesus.

  The most sharply ironic detail is how the children went to Jesus. Some little girls were very frightened and cried because of hearing the preacher’s sermon “all moans and shouts and lonely cries and dire picture of hell…but one little lamb was left ort in the cold….” So they jumped up and went to Jesus right away. The boy named Westley, who said “God damn”, was tied of sitting there so he got up and was saved. What’s ridiculous is that the boy sat proudly on the platform, swinging his knickerbockered legs and grinning down at honest Langston, while he lied and didn’t see Jesus at all. And the last child Langston said Jesus had come because he felt ashamed of himself, holding everything up long, and to save further trouble, he lied. And the irony also lies in Langston’s feeling of shame. He shouldn’t have felt ashamed because he indeed didn’t see Jesus.

  This story was ironic that the sincere and simply children were considered as sinners and had to sit on the mourners’ bench and wait to see Jesus. And by the time they “saw” Jesus and were “saved”, that means they told a lie. So while they were mourning, they were doing wrong.

  Salvation is attractive and impressed because it’s veritably a great story full of ironies.