Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Example of symbolism essay
Nathaniel Hawthorne works
Nathaniel Hawthorne works
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The year is 1729 and the Puritans are going about their daily life of strict, religious life. Nathaniel hawthorne is not part of this crowd but he likes to pick fun at their lifestyle. In "The Minister 's Black Veil" and "Young Goodman Brown" he does just that. In both these stories he makes fun of their idea that everything is a sign, and has a double meaning. These allegories that Hawthorne uses may confuse the average reader. In both stories there is something that has a meaning based on reality, and a more mystical meaning. The word faith, when used in "Young Goodman Brown" can either mean Faith, as in the name of Goodman 's wife, or faith in God. The black veil, is it just a veil, or does it have a deeper, darker meaning of sin? The premiss of "Young Goodman Brown" is that Mr. Brown leaves his town and his wife Faith and travels through the forest, where he is tempted by the Devil and eventually caves in once he sees man others worshipping satan. When he falls into the pressure of the Devil he looses his faith in God. When Goodman was leaving town he and his wife Faith, expressed a long period of goodbyes. "And Faith, as the wife was aptly named, thrust her own pretty head into the street,"(Hawthorne). Clearly by this quote Faith is an actual human being, but the next quote is a little misleading, "My love and my Faith, of …show more content…
"Hanging down over his face, so low as to be shaken by his breath, Mr. Hooper had on a black veil."(Hawthorne). This veil clearly exists as a physical object, it hangs over his face and dims the world around him. This veil was very suspicious and made everyone wonder what the reason behind it was. "Such was the effect of thus simple piece of crape, that more than one women of delicate nerves was forced to leave."(Hawthorne). The community was in awe with the crape, and as Hawthorne writes, it even disturbed some
Both of these stories revolve around a lot of symbolism. These stories, since they really don't make a lot of sense on their own, force the reader to look deeper in an attempt to understand the ideas that Hawthorne tries to get across.
In “The Minister’s Black Veil”, Mr. Hooper’s wife begs him to take off the veil but to no avail. The secret sins symbolized by the black veil, he wears will not go away on earth so in turn he refuses to take it off. As a result, his wife leaves him. In “Young Goodman Brown”, Goodman Brown leaves his wife, Faith, at night. Goodman Brown is leaving because he wants to commit an evil deed in the night. In the gloomy and evil night, Faith describes herself as “A lone woman is troubled with such dreams and such thoughts that she’s afeard of herself sometimes” (36). His wife is a symbol of Goodman Brown’s faith which waivers because of his secret sin. Also pertaining to Faith, Goodman Brown discovers his wife was worshipping the devil. Their relationship suffers as a result. The author describes,“Often walking suddenly at midnight, he shrank from the bosom of Faith”(45). Goodman Brown is not able to see his wife in the same light because he is afraid of her secret sin. He ends up dying as an alone and downcast
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 other than the norm. The name "goodman" is not capitalized except in the title, furthering this representative quality. Throughout the story, Brown refers to "Faith," his wife, which when substituted with a description his beliefs in the known establishment in terms of religion and politics shows his progression towards realizing the unknown, evil, side of human nature. As he first enters the forest and is late to meet his traveling companion, he remarks, "Faith kept me back awhile" (Norton 577). His firm beliefs in the establishment seem to have kept him back from taking a risk and venturing off on his own. After an encounter of finding out that what he had thought to be a "pious and exemplary dame" was really practicing witchcraft, he is first exposed to the hidden evil nature. He exclaims, "What if a wretched old woman do choose to go to the devil, when I thought she was going to Heaven! Is that any reason why I should quit my dear Faith, and go after her?" This experience was just not enough to make him change his beliefs although the aquaintance predicts, "You will think better of this, by-and-by" (Norton 580). Brown is eventually convinced of mankinds evil nature at the turning point where he cries, "My Faith is gone.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman Brown” Hawthorne conveys to readers a seemingly highly religious Puritan town. However, this town appears to be holding a devious truth. Throughout his work Hawthorne utilizes symbolism to convey the corrupt and evil truth behind the otherwise highly religious Puritan town. Through his main symbol usage of Faith’s pink ribbons, Faith’s name and appearances throughout the story, and the woods in which the story is set, readers see the façade slowly fade through the story and reveal the truth about the town.
Faith can be defined, as a firm belief in something for which there is no proof. "Young Goodman Brown" is about a man who leaves his wife, Faith, at home alone for a night while he takes a walk down the road of temptation with the devil. Along the road he sees many people that he would never expect to see on this road, his wife included. He returns to his life in Salem a changed man. In "Young Goodman Brown" Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism and characterization to imply that when individuals lose their faith in the goodness of mankind, they may begin to imagine that their peers have yielded to temptation.
Nathaniel Hawthorne uses different people as symbols throughout "Young Goodman Brown." The largest symbolic roles in the story are goodman Brown and his wife Faith. Both of the characters' names are symbolic and representative of their personalities. "'With Heaven above and Faith below, I will stand firm against the devil!' cried goodman Brown," is just one of many quotes that directly relates goodman Brown's personality with his name (189). Goodman Brown is truly a good man. Faith, goodman Brown's wife, also has a name that is indicative of her nature. The story directly supports this point in the phrase "Faith, as the wife was aptly named . . . " (184). Faith is persistent in trying to keep goodman Brown off the path of sin in the first part of the story: " . . . pr'y thee, put off your journey until sunrise, and sleep in your own bed to-night" (184). Hawthorne does an excellent job of turning the main characters into symbols that are prominent throughout the story.
Intro: “We have been a race of honest men and good Christians…”(Hawthorne, pg. 388). In Salem, Massachusetts evil was found everywhere; therefore, many good Puritans fell through the evil of witchcraft. This concept is found in the short story of “Young Goodman Brown”, where the readers are introduced to a innocent and pure couple who are all about religion and against any evil worshippers. Faith and Goodman Brown will face a diabolic journey to hell, and fight against the will of evil which is nearly impossible for everyone in town has walked through sin.I am writing about Young Goodman Brown because I am trying to show you how Hawthorne relies on Faith, the old man, and young Goodman Brown to illustrate the evil in nature.
The short stories “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Ministers Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne share a main theme of sin. The stories differ when it comes to the protagonists own self-awareness of the sins they commit, in “Young Goodman Brown” the main character, Goodman Brown, sets off into the woods with the Devil, throughout his journey Goodman Brown finds fault in everyone but himself. Whereas in “The Ministers Black Veil”, Mr. Hooper, the towns reverend, not only admits that he has sin but wears a symbol of his sin on his face, the stories are a like though because Mr. Hooper finds sin in everyone around him just like Goodman Brown did. Nathaniel Hawthorne made his protagonists flawed, both share an obsession with sin and thus distancing themselves from their peers. I believe Nathaniel Hawthorne wants to prove with these two
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.
Faith plays a major role in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman Brown”. From the start of his journey to his arrival back home, Faith is always in the back of head, making him question his surroundings and own thoughts. It’s hard to determine when he’s speaking of his lovely wife Faith or his Faith in his God and religion. Through his many
Mrs. Leavis comes closest to the truth in her discussion of this story in the Sewanee Review in which she says: "Hawthorne has imaginatively recreated for the reader that Calvinist sense of sin, that theory which did in actuality shape the early social and spiritual history of New England." But Mrs. Leavis seems to miss the critical implications of the story, for she goes on to say: "But in Hawthorne, by a wonderful feat of transmutation, it has no religious significance, it is a psychological state that is explored. Young Goodman Brown's Faith is not faith in Christ but faith in human beings, and losing it he is doomed to isolation forever." Those who persist in reading this story as a study of the effects of sin on Brown come roughly to this conclusion: "Goodman Brown became evil as a result of sin and thought he saw evil where none existed." Hawthorne's message is far more depressing and horrifying than this. The story is obviously an individual tragedy, and those who treat it as such are right, of course; but, far beyond the personal plane, it has universal implications.
“The Minister’s Black Veil” and “Young Goodman Brown” have many similarities. Both stories have similar writing styles, settings, and themes. Since both these stories were written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, they have many similarities.
Goodman Brown’s wife, Faith, not only represents Goodman Brown’s wife but also his religious faith. This dual purpose of Faith only makes it harder for Goodman Brown to enter the forest and leave Faith behind (Haddock). On his way into the forest, Goodman Brown is unsure of his decision. To demonstrate this is when he states to himself, “What a wretch am I to leave her on such an errand! She talks of dreams, too. Methought as she spoke there was trouble in her face, as if a dream had warned her what work is to be done tonight. But no, no; ‘t would kill her to think it. Well, she’s a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night I’ll cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven.” (Young Goodman Brown). When Goodman Brown meets up with his so called leader in the forest he says, “Faith kept me back awhile…” (Young Goodman Brown). This quote shows the reader that Goodman couldn’t decide between the devil and faith. During the journey, he experiences many moments of uncertainty and sinfulness and wants to turn back, it was at these times, Faith was more important to him than the traveler (Haddock).
The Minister’s Black Veil, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1836, is a parable about a minister, Mr. Hooper, who constantly wears a mysterious black veil over his face. The people in the town of Milford, are perplexed by the minister’s veil and cannot figure out why he insists on wearing it all of the time. The veil tends to create a dark atmosphere where ever the minister goes, and the minister cannot even stand to look at his own reflection. In Nathaniel Hawthorne 's literary work, The Minister 's Black Veil, the ambiance of the veil, separation from happiness that it creates, and the permanency of the black veil symbolize sin in people’s lives.
In the short story, “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the Mr. Hooper’s black veil and the words that can describe between him and the veil. Hawthorne demonstrates how a black veil can describe as many words. Through the story, Hawthorne introduces the reader to Mr. Hooper, a parson in Milford meeting-house and a gentlemanly person, who wears a black veil. Therefore, Mr. Hooper rejects from his finance and his people, because they ask him to move the veil, but he does not want to do it. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil”, Mr. Hooper’s black veil symbolizes sins, darkness, and secrecy in order to determine sins that he cannot tell to anyone, darkness around his face and neighbors, and secrecy about the black veil.