In Langston Hughes’ “Salvation” and Sherwood Anderson’s “Hands” the authors present main characters who find themselves ostracized from their society in one way or another. Through reading both works, the readers are able to see how a character takes on the role of an outsider. Additionally, the readers are able to see how much of an impact society and environment play in the creation of an outsider character. The full definition of an outsider is as follows: “a person who is rejected or cast out, as from home or society” (dictionary.com). An outsider is someone who, in the eyes of society, does not belong. In literature, an outsider character is best described as a character who does not fit within the norm of a story. Outsider characters …show more content…
Biddlebaum becomes an outsider because his society both refuses to accept him and actively rejects him. In a similar manner, Hughes’ makes himself an outsider due to a fear of not fitting in and being accepted. The journey of each character to becoming an outsider is one that I believe reflects the problem that we have as humans to constantly want to fit in. The longing to fit in causes us to take actions that may have once seemed extreme, such as harming other people. Not only that, but also the way that we shun those who refuse to fit in and go against the status quo. I think that in order to solve this problem, we should move away from categorizing people as outsiders. Categorizing someone as an outsider only serves to fuel the idea that being different is somehow wrong. At the very least, if we are to label someone as an outsider, we should take away the negative connotation that comes with the label. Additionally, I think we should take time to analyze some of our cultural and societal values and beliefs and the harm, unintentional or not, that they may bring to
Though unbeknownst to many, the experience of being an outsider is a sensation that everyone can go through. In the world, it is entirely possible for a person to be judged on physical appearance, opinions, and status among other things. It is simply how humans have adapted; they experience society by forming social groups that they are comfortable in. Generally, this group is seen to those involved with it as the “inside group”, and those not directly related to it are seen as “outsiders.” Even in literature, it is clear that the feeling of being one of these outsiders is universal. Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Fences by Pat Mora, and The Doll’s House by Katherine Mansfield all properly display how anyone can be an outsider.
An analysis of “Salvation” Langston Hughes, in his essay “Salvation” writes about his experience as a young boy, at the age of 12, where he finds himself being inducted into a local church. An analysis of Hughes’ essay will describe and elaborate on both emotional and social pressures. He reaches out to an audience of adults find themselves in the position to influence a child’s thoughts, or ideals. Hughes’ message to the reader is that adults can easily manipulate a child’s ideals by pressuring them into doing something they do not truly wish to do.
An outsider can see the values of society because their withdrawn nature gives them the time to observe those around them and make thoughtful analyzations of society. Despite the ability for outsiders to see the gross reality of society, the reality of being withdrawn is also isolating. The romanticised idea of an outsider, present in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the Scarlet Letter, show the protagonists as free thinkers who want to escape from the confines of society. The reality is shown by Nick in The Great Gatsby and Billy in Slaughterhouse-Five where the main characters suffer from loneliness and disconnection from other people. Both characters are effectively stuck in time; trying to make sense of their lives they forget to
Starting off, what is an outsider? An outsider is someone who does not belong to a particular group. An example of an outsider would be main character, Gregor, in “Metamorphosis,” by Franz Kafka. Gregor
The first and most obvious outcast in the novel is Crooks. Crooks is the only black ranch hand and he has a very crooked back. Not only is he cripple, Crooks also lives in the ranch barn and not in the bunkhouse because he is considered to be different and also treated differently by other ranch hands. The reason why Crooks lives in the barn is because other ranch hands refuse
Writer and member of the 1920’s literary movement, Langston Hughes, in his autobiographical essay, Salvation, elucidates the loss of innocence and faith due to the pressure of accepting a concept that he has yet to acknowledge. Hughes’ purpose is to describe his childhood experience of the burden to be saved by Jesus, resulting in his loss of faith. He adopts a solemn, yet disappointing tone to convey his childhood event and argues the unqualified religious pressure.
The world wants us to take part in things that we might not want to but we feel pressured by society or yourself. In the story, Salvation, Langston Hughes implied this perfectly. “I was saved from sin when I was going on thirteen. But not really saved” (McMahan, Day, Funk, and Coleman 279).
When reading the literature of Langston Hughes, I cant help but feeling energetically charged and inspired. Equality, freedom, empowerment, renaissance, justice and perseverance, are just a taste of the subject matter Hughes offers. He amplifies his voice and beliefs through his works which are firmly rooted in race pride and race feeling. Hughes committed himself both to writing and to writing mainly about African Americans. His early love for the “wonderful world of books” was sparked by loneliness and parental neglect. He would soon lose himself in the works of Walt Whitman, Paul Laurence, Carl Sandburg and other literary greats which would lead to enhancing his ever so growing style and grace of oeuvre. Such talent, character, and willpower could only come from one’s life experiences. Hughes had allot to owe to influences such as his grandmother and great uncle John Mercer Langston - a famous African American abolitionist. These influential individuals helped mold Hughes, and their affect shines brightly through his literary works of art.
In most people's lives, there comes a point in time where their perception changes abruptly; a single moment in their life when they come to a sudden realization. In Langston Hughes' 'Salvation', contrary to all expectations, a young Hughes is not saved by Jesus, but is saved from his own innocence.
In Langston Hughes’ short narrative, “Salvation”, Langston struggles with his belief and feels pressured to conform to the church. He struggles with his faith as his family and the church push him to being saved. Hughes does not want to upset his own family and the church for not being saved. This causes him to lie about “seeing Jesus” to avoid sitting alone on the mourners’ bench and feeling different from everyone surrounding him. As a twelve year old, he most likely did not want to feel different from his peers and wanted to feel accepted. Peer pressure from family members and people one cares about can lead one to believe that they a disappointment and guilty that they are letting their loved ones down.
In Langston Hughes’s Salvation, Hughes makes describes many differences between the his and the congregation’s perception of biblical acceptance. As a boy, Hughes was vividly told by his aunt that in accepting Jesus, he would “see a light, and something happened to you inside”. Being young, he believed that he had to actually see an incarnation of Jesus in order to be saved. When surrounded by the older crowd in church, Hughes anticipates a kind of “great awakening” but his expectations are met with nothing. He does not understand why he can not find Jesus while the congregation is in the midst of praising.
“Humour is laughing at what you haven’t got when you ought to have it”. The story “Salvation” was written by Langston Hughes. "Salvation," was published as a chapter in his autobiographical work “The Big Sea”, and first published in 1940. The main characters in the story are Aunt Reed, Westly, Minister and Langston. In this story Hughes describe that his religious aunt took him to a special church meeting when he was twelve years old. ". Aunt Reed who is the nun of church, has taken him to the church for "Salvation" purpose. Salvation is the process of saving from sins which is the belief of Christians . It was a congregational prayer ceremony, all the young ones sit on the benches. Westly and himself sat on the same benches. Aunt Reed told
Outsiders are individuals who do not fit the traditional roles they are meant to have in society. Outsiders do not fit within their society and become “a person not belonging to a particular group, set, party, etc.” (Dictionary.com). Outsiders are thought to be individuals who have different taste in fashion or music, but they can also be people who have lived a different life from his/her peers.
During the 1920's and 30’s, America went through a period of astonishing artistic creativity, the majority of which was concentrated in one neighborhood of New York City, Harlem. The creators of this period of growth in the arts were African-American writers and other artists. Langston Hughes is considered to be one of the most influential writers of the period know as the Harlem Renaissance. With the use of blues and jazz Hughes managed to express a range of different themes all revolving around the Negro. He played a major role in the Harlem Renaissance, helping to create and express black culture. He also wrote of political views and ideas, racial inequality and his opinion on religion. I believe that Langston Hughes’ poetry helps to capture the era know as the Harlem Renaissance.
In Langston Hughes 's definition essay entitled "Salvation" he discusses the social and emotional pressures that effect young people. He pulls in his own experiences from being an active member in his church, and the moment he was supposed to experience revival of twelve. Hughes 's purpose for writing this definition essay is to show the peer pressures and internal conflicts that come from both church and the religious community, and his personal experiences that led to the pressures that were put upon him in his youth. The audiences that “Salvation” was pointed towards are adults; it shows the pressures that are put upon the youth, while the child does not fully grasp the idea being expressed to them. Langston Hughes 's overall message to