Tain’t So by Langston Hughes

In this essay, Langston Hughes argues that people only need slight coercion to be brought out of a state of mind that can be potentially dangerous to their health.  He demonstrates this in a story about an ailing, elderly Southern woman who goes to California to live out the remainder of her days and to try to recover from her illnesses.  She hears about a spiritual healer, so she goes to visit the healer but becomes furious when she is told only that her problems “Tain’t so.”  She storms out of the office and her mind is so preoccupied that she forgets to use her walking cane.  When she notices the change in her walking ability, she discovers that her ailing hip is also feeling better and that she no longer has a shortness of breath.  The tone of this story switches from doubt and anger to one of amazement when the woman realizes that the healer did in fact cure her of her illnesses. Hughes explores the question “is truth relative or absolute?” and also shows how much power the human mind has over the body.