Essay Comparing Young Goodman Brown And The Minister's Black Veil

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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 …show more content…

Hooper do. How the main characters deal with their own sin is one key difference in “Young Goodman Brown” and “Ministers Black Veil.” Goodman Brown sets off to walk through the woods with the devil and although he knows it is wrong and makes a few attempts at walking Goodman Brown ultimately chooses to continue his journey. It never occurs to him that by walking with the devil he could be committing a sin himself. He also believes that because he and his ancestors before him have all been Christians that that absolves him of all sin, he vehemently tells this to the devil who replies, “I helped your grandfather, the constable, when he lashed the Quaker women so smartly

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