I wonder where Christ's gone”: A Marxist Critique of Organized Religion in Langston Hughes’ “ On The Road” Anonymous College

Langston Hughes’ “ On The Road” uncovers the relationship between organized religion and racism by chronicling the suffering that Sargeant goes through, in the hands of members of organized religion, because he is black. He is dehumanized instead of getting help because he is tired and needs food and shelter from ice. Racial inequalities persist even in the church. Sargeant’s experience in the hands of the white people begs the question: Would Sargeant’s predicament have been different if he were a big, white and unemployed man. Sargeant is treated as a child of a lesser God”. As a result, Sargeant loathes the socioeconomic oppression that stems from organized religion and he pulls down the church in protest. A Marxist Reading of Langston Hughes condemns organized religion by expounding how it perpetuates classes and encourages racism; the story exposes the hypocrisy of the members of organized region; whose aim is to work for their self-interests.

Organized religion does not necessarily offer relief to people who are suffering in the society; this is despite the Biblical teachings which emphasize the needs to take one’s burdens to Jesus. Sargeant suffers in the hands of a man, the Reverend, who is a critical component of the...