Sanctity In Young Goodman Brown

Essay 2 The rapid loss of faith in visible sanctity demonstrates the total depravity in Goodman Brown’s character that lead him to live an unfulfilled life. As soon as Goodman Brown hears the Devil’s sermon he doesn’t seek to refute it. Instead, he easily accepts that his father, grandfather, and the whole community were acquainted with the Devil. He then gradually begins to believe that the community of visible saints is corrupted and that they are performers of evil-doing. Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of Young Goodman Brown says “‘Goodman Brown stepped forth from the shadows...and approached the congregation, with whom he felt a loathful brotherhood by the sympathy of all that was wicked in his heart”(50). Brown feels he is somehow connected

Through Brown’s experience in the woods, he shows the clash between the belief in depravity and visible sanctity. Brown is unaware of the sin of the “self” and inevitably comes to contact with the views he has over visible sanctity. His strong faith in the beginning of the story, demonstrated his arrogant character because he believed there was nothing that would shake his faith. He was psychologically unprepared to witness his own depravity and sanctity in others. Brown’s fate at the end of the story characterize his acceptance of his wickedness because he doubts God’s sovereignty and sees nothing but corruption. Hawthorne effectively communicates that Brown fails the test of morality and emphasizes that the flaw of Puritans is indeed only to think about the

While Jonathan Edwards’s Personal Narrative emphasizes that sin is something we can’t escape and that we are sin but that one can be prepared for God’s salvation. Edward Taylor begins his poem by expressing the disgust he feels of his sinful essence. Taylor feels he needs a hint of hope from God in order to deal with the sin of the self and to be able to live a pious life. Taylor is a puritan who believes in covenantal theology, so he believes he can potentially be one of God’s chosen people. Also, he shows a sense of desperation for an answer because he sees himself as depraved. Taylor mentions, “Lord, hold Thy hand: for handle me Thou mayst In wrath: but oh, a twinkling ray of hope” (21). The importance of hope is important to Taylor because he doesn’t want to live in wickedness, he wants to flee from it. He accepts God’s sovereignty and for that purpose knows he is the only one that can redeem him. In the metaphysical poem, he also acknowledges his feelings of guilt when he realizes that God has resurrected meaning he never died. This means that there is a thing beyond sin, something much more immoral. Taylor wants God to gift him with illuminated reason, a power and knowledge above average that demonstrates the visible sanctity in that person and their ability to lead a community. Still, Taylor battles with this idea because he knows his self interest