Ambiguity in “Young Goodman Brown”
Peter Conn in “Finding a Voice in an New Nation” makes a statement regarding Hawthorne’s ambiguity: “Almost all of Hawthorne’s finest stories are remote in time or place. The glare of contemporary reality immobillized his imagination. He required shadows and half-light, and he sought a nervous equilibrium in ambiguity” (82). There is considerable ambiguity in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown,” and this essay will examine this and its causes.
R. W. B. Lewis in “The Return into Rime: Hawthorne” mentions the ambiguity associated with the key imagery in “Young Goodman Brown”: “For Hawthorne, the forest was neither the proper home of the admirable Adam, as with Cooper; nor was it the hideout of the malevolent adversary. . . . It was the ambiguous setting of moral choice. . . .” (74-75). Henry James in Hawthorne, when discussing “Young Goodman Brown” mentions how allegorical Hawthorne is, and how it is not clearly expressed with this author:
The only cases in which it is endurable is when it is extremely spontaneous, when the analogy presents itself with eager promptitude. When it shows signs of having been groped and fumbled for, the needful illusion is of course absent, and the failure complete. Then the machinery alone is visible and the end to which it operates becomes a matter of indifference (50).
When one has to grope for, and fumble for, the meaning of a tale, then there is “failure” in the work, as Henry James says. This unfortunately is the case of “Young Goodman Brown.” It is so ambiguous in so many occasions in the tale that a blur rather than a distinct image forms in the mind of the reader.
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Since ours is an age that has found irony, ambiguity, and paradox to be central not only in literature but in life, it is not surprising that Hawthorne has seemed to us one of the most modern of nineteenth century American writers. The bulk and general excellence of the great outburst of Hawthorne criticism of the past decade attest to his relevance for us (54).
If one examines Lacanist obscurity, one is faced with a choice: either reject subcultural discourse or conclude that class has significance, given that the premise of constructivism is invalid. The primary theme of Humphrey’s[2] critique of Marxist socialism is the fatal flaw, and subsequent economy, of deconstructivist society. It could be said that Sontag promotes the use of subcultural discourse to modify and attack sexual identity.
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.
Wyckoff, Jason, and M.A Bertz. "The Animal Rights Debate: Abolition or Regulation? - By Gary L. Francione & Robert Garner." Journal of Applied Philosophy 28.4 (2011): 414-16. Print.
Theodore Roosevelt was one of the most inspirational men that lived. He once stated “I have always been fond of the West African proverb: Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” This is how he ran things in the oval office and as the New York City police commissioner. Growing up he was a very sickly child, homeschooled and his father was very disappointed with him as a child. Theodore Roosevelt Said “Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell ‘em, ‘Certainly I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.” (Theodore Roosevelt) This to me shows how dedicated Theodore Roosevelt was about his work ethics and how he strived to become the best he could.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”, Goodman Brown struggles with staying pure and not giving in to the devil. Hawthorne utilizes allegory and ambiguity to leave unanswered questions for the reader.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. American Literature. Vol. 1. New York: Penguin Academics, 2004. 592-778. Print.
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.
Cheng writes that racial grief is then translated into social ideals by the racialized. The feelings of melancholy and being ostracized become naturalized and racial ideals that were imposed become the ideals to live up to. For example, Asians feel the need to be mathematically inclined, and tend to be apologetic if not. The single story of the smart Asian, the Asian that studies all day, thus becomes the Asian’s identity that is internalized and pursued. There is a gradual acceptance of the impossibility of attaining ‘whiteness’ – the paragon of race.
Sagoff, Mark. “Animal Liberation and Environmental Ethics: Bad Marriage, Quick Divorce” in Environmental Ethics edited by David Schmidtz and Elizabeth Willott. Oxford University Press, New York. 2002. p. 38-44.
Although women have made huge contributions to jazz back in the early 1900s most female musicians went unnoticed. Innovations in jazz seemed to come mainly from those who played wind instruments, such as trumpet, saxophone or the clarinet. However these were considered male positions. Most women took on other instruments such as the piano. Mary Lou Williams and Lillian Hardin were pianists and are currently recognized as great contributors to jazz music, but did not receive this same recognition back in the early 1900s. During this time women were sometimes used in a band more for their looks rather than talent. It wasn’t until the introduction of female vocalists whose role was similar to those of the featured wind instruments that broadened the dimensions of jazz. These melodic voice improvisations were one of the main contributions women made to jazz. This definitely helped give recognition to women such as Ella Fitzgerald and changed the role and outlook on women forever.
There has been a mass increase of juvenile delinquency in the United States, which has made a notable change in our society as a whole. It also directly affects parents, teachers, families, the perpetrators themselves, and of course, the victims. Law enforcement agencies in the United States have made an estimated 2.11 million arrests of minors. These perpetrators who were arrested have either been placed in confinement or they are under court supervision. Juvenile delinquency is described as illegal or immoral behavior, generally among young people under the legal age of eighteen. In order to reduce these high rates of delinquency, parents, and other adult figures, must first ask themselves, what is causing this? What external and internal