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Symbolism of Nathaniel Hawthorne's Goodman Brown
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Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story Young Goodman Brown, is filled with symbols and recurring words and phrases. Hawthorne effectively uses the format of storytelling to convey his message. The symbols are so prevalent that unless one has a good understanding of their interconnectedness, the meaning and intent is lost. Some of the recurring keywords and images connecting the themes are: faith, the forest, the serpent, communion, and the dream. They are used to demonstrate themes of good vs. evil, straying from the known, deception, and how experiences can affect one's outlook on life, whether it is a physical occurence or it happens in our mind. A closer look at the passage from the end of the story that begins, "Lo! There ye stand, my children..." exemplifies many of these themes (Norton 584).
The story opens with young goodman Brown entering Salem village and he is depicted as a good-intentioned and faithful husband kissing his wife, appropriately named Faith. Hawthorne uses the generic name "young goodman Brown" for the main character as a representation of anyone who is facing temptations to experience something
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When the figure says on page 584, "ye had still hoped that virtue were not all a dream," it is a bit ironic in relation to the story's lack of distinction between what physically took place and what was Brown's dream. Brown is told that virtuous nature is not a reality and can only exist in your dreams, but if he is so profoundly affected by this experience (which is also a dream) that his outlook on life is reversed, than it stands to reason that if he chooses to perceive humans to be virtuous, that would indeed be reality for
Pickover, Cliff. "The Scales of Good and Evil." The Scales of Good and Evil. N.p., 2002. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
In "Young Goodman Brown," Nathaniel Hawthorne, through the use of deceptive imagery, creates a sense of uncertainty that illuminates the theme of man's inability to operate within a framework of moral absolutism. Within every man there is an innate difference between good and evil and Hawthorne's deliberate use of ambiguity mirrors this complexity of human nature. Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown, is misled by believing in the perfectibility of humanity and in the existence of moral absolutes. According to Nancy Bunge, Hawthorne naturally centers his story upon a Puritan protagonist to convey the "self-righteous" that he regards as the "antithesis of wisdom"(4). Consequently, Young Goodman Brown is unable to accept the indefinable vision of betrayal and evil that he encounters in the forest. The uncertainty of this vision, enhanced by Hawthorne's deliberate, yet effective, use of ambiguity, is also seen in the character of Faith, the shadows and darkness of the forest, and the undetectable boundaries that separate nightmarish dreams from reality.
Clarice Swisher in “Nathaniel Hawthorne: a Biography” states: ”When Hawthorne called his stories ‘romances,’ he meant that they belong within the romantic movement that . . . . emphasize imagination and personal freedom” (18). It is the purpose of this essay to interpret the theme of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” and determine where this “personal freedom” leads.
The main characters in Hawthorne's story "Young Goodman Brown" are Goodman Brown, his wife Faith and the stranger who accompanies Goodman Brown in the forest. At the beginning of the story Brown is bidding his wife, Faith farewell at their front door. Taking a lonely route into the forest, he meets an older man who bears a fatherly resemblance to both Brown and the Devil. Later that night Brown discovers to his amazement, that many exemplary villagers are on the same path including, Goody Cloyse, a pious old woman who once taught him his catechism, but who readily shows that she certainly knew the Devil and practiced witchcraft. With Brown still confident that he could turn back, his older companion departs, leaving behind his curiously snakelike staff and fully expecting that Brown would follow.
Ever since animals have been domesticated, they have been very instrumental in providing humans with a plethora of benefits in multiple areas such as agriculture, medicine, and industry (Transgenic Animals). Today, animals and their products are used for almost everything from food to clothing to products we use on an everyday basis. Some argue that animals should not be used as much as they are being utilized; however the use of domesticated animals propelled humans from a nomadic species to a more civilized people. The domestication of animals was a keynote of the beginning of agriculture as a whole, which lead to industrialization and progression as human beings. Domesticated animals play a foremost role in our society today as well as in the future.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s tale, “Young Goodman Brown,” is rich in symbolism, as this essay will amply illustrate.
Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes symbolism throughout his short story Young Goodman Brown to impact and clarify the theme of good people sometimes doing bad things. Hawthorne uses a variety of light and dark imagery, names, and people to illustrate irony and different translations. Young Goodman Brown is a story about a man who comes to terms with the reality that people are imperfect and flawed and then dies a bitter death from the enlightenment of his journey through the woods. Images of darkness, symbolic representations of names and people and the journey through the woods all attribute to Hawthorne's theme of good people sometimes doing bad things.
Growing up, Krzyzewski belonged to a group of neighborhood sidekicks tagged The Columbos, in which they could always be found taking part in playground basketball. ‘Mickey’, as he was known in this fraternity, had long been interested in sports but street ball with The Columbos is where he first learned to love the game. (Hines-Brigger, n.d.)
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s allegorical story “Young Goodman Brown” is set in Salem, Massachusetts during the late sixteen hundreds in a time of religious hysteria and only a few generations after the infamous witch trials. Although "Young Goodman Brown" is a fictional tale, it is based on the cynical environment of Salem during this time period. The short story is filled with many literary elements, leading you to question what did exactly happen to the main character at the conclusion. When analyzing a story like "Young Goodman Brown", one must recognize that the story is at whole symbolic. In the text, symbols are used to uncover the truth of the characters. The role of Faith as both a character and a spiritual element are crucial to both the story and the character of Young Goodman Brown.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Young Goodman Brown,” the author uses danger and mystery to represent the struggle of good versus evil. Young Goodman Brown journeys into the night and comes to realize an unforgiving truth. Everyone is in danger of abandoning their faith or is inherently evil. Nathaniel Hawthorne has filled this story symbolism, after reading this story the reader may have questions about Young Goodman Browns’ determination to journey towards his evil purpose. Nathaniel Hawthorne implies strong faith can endure but when that faith is destroyed, what view does a person have towards mankind? Let us take a look at Nathaniel Hawthorne’s use of significant symbols throughout “Young Goodman Brown.”
The short story, "Young Goodman Brown" is a fascinating rendition of the battle between good and evil. The reader must delve into the depths of his/her own beliefs to understand what the symbolism is. Nathaniel Hawthorne writes an entire lesson in life as one big symbol using allegory. The various examples are fruitful and will be presented throughout this essay.
Williams’ views on style are more diverse. According to him, style should be more about the audience the writer is writing to rather than the writer himself. Williams explains how to write or the reader. In his last chapter Williams states how to write in a constructive voice, how to the flow of information affects the reader, what words to use when the reader has prior knowledge of the subject and when he or she does not, and how to be clear for the reader.
Hawthorne immediately uses the very name of Goodman Brown 's wife, Faith, as a symbol of Brown’s own faith throughout the story. Goodman Brown 's faith is shown through the initial description of his wife Faith, "And Faith,
Kilbourne, Jean. “‘Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt’: Advertising and Violence” Free Press. (2000): Web. 27 Feb. 2014
In the natural sciences there are always ethical norms that limit how knowledge can be produced. In the natural sciences, experimentation is an important method of producing knowledge but ethical judgments can limit the use of this method. There are areas that are considered unethical ...