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A good man is hard to find summary essay
The Concept of Good Versus Evil Essay
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Good and evil are two entities universally present throughout all stories and lives. Both have been subject of numerous discussions; many of which inquiring as to why they exist and to what purpose they serve. In Nathaniel Hawthorne 's short story Young Goodman Brown, Brown embarks on a journey into himself and all humankind. What he discovers is life altering as it deconstructs all he has ever known. He is no longer capable of looking at the world in a hopeful manner and becomes distraught contrary to The Misfit in Flannery O 'connor 's short story A Good Man Is Hard to Find who accepts a painful truth. This painful truth entails that humankind is inherently evil and no person is exempt from containing darkness within them.
Young Goodman Brown leaves with an intention entirely contrasting that of what actually occurs. His initial goal is to strengthen his relationship with his wife Faith. This is made apparent when he states that even though his wife might not approve of what is about to transpire, afterwards he will "cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven"(Hawthorne 1133). While Brown may suggest this in a literal way, it is obvious that she is metaphorical to his actual faith
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Unlike Brown 's ever present gloom after his realization, O 'Connor 's character, The Misfit, embraces it. He admits that he "ain 't a good man" (O 'Connor 1293). Comparatively, The Misfit is also motivated by curiosity much like Brown. He states," My daddy said I was a different breed of do from my brothers and sisters...it 's some that can live their whole life out without asking about it and it 's others has to know why it is, and this boy is one of the latters" (O 'Connor 1293). He had to understand the evil of mankind and was unable to live in ignorance to the truth that all mankind was inherently evil. Thus, leading him to accept the evil of
The lines that define good and evil are not written in black and white; these lines tend to blur allowing good and evil to intermingle with each another in a single human being.
Flannery O’Connor was an American writer who wrote several short stories. O’Connor was known for shocking her readers with violence. O’ Connor had strong Christian beliefs that were reflected in her writings. O’ Connor once said:
At the start of the story Goodman Brown is torn from his wife, Faith, to attend an event that “must needs be done”. The story is an allegory for the sin of man and the hypocrisy of the puritan lifestyle. No matter how much Faith pleads for him to stay, the journey is inevitable much like thresholds in ones life. On this journey Goodman
Before young Goodman Brown begins his journey, he says his farewells to his wife, Faith, who is reluctant to see him go. “And Faith, as the wife was aptly named, thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons of her cap while she called to Goodman Brown. ‘Dearest heart,’ whispered she…, ‘prithee put off your journey until sunrise and sleep in your own bed to-night…’ ‘My love and my Faith,’ replied young Goodman Brown, ‘of all nights in the year, this one night must I tarry away from thee…’” (Hawthorne pg. 1). Before departing on his “journey”, Goodman Brown bids goodbye to his wife. Faith’s pink ribbons are not only a symbol of the innocence and purity of Faith, but also for the innocent and immature views of Goodman Brown, who has until his journey into the woods, only seen the unblemished and holy side of his fellow townspeople rather than understanding that almost all people, good and bad alike, will carry some kind of sin. After entering the woods, Goodman Brown meets a man dressed in “grave and decent attire” who greets the goodman upon seeing him. “‘You are late, Goodman Brown,’ said he. ‘The clock of the Old South was striking as I came through Boston, and that is full fifteen minutes agone.’ ‘Faith kept me back a
The biggest symbol in Young Goodman Brown is the idea of faith. Before he goes on his “errand,” he is talking to his wife, promising he will come back, but in actuality he is talking to his faith, as in religion. He subconsciously knows he is going against his faith on this errand, but will return. “My love and my Faith,” replied young Goodman Brown, “of all nights in the year, this one night must I tarry away from thee. My journey, as thou callest it, forth and back again…” When Brown says later in the story “I am losing my Faith”, he is not only about his wife, (which is shown through her pink ribbon in the tree), but more about his religion, which is flashing before his eyes. This errand was a test of Goodman Brown’s faith. When Brown hears people singing hymns in swears, it is a symbol of the corruption of the church. The name Goodman Brown I think is very ironic. Is he a good man after this errand?
Unfortunately, Goodman Brown truly has lost his faith. Though his wife appears unchanged and wishes to welcome him with open, loving arms Brown rejects her. The reader is left slightly confused as to why, but perhaps Brown has given up hope that good can win over the enormous amount of sin or evil out there. He is unable to accept Faith now that he is forced to see her in her unclean or imperfect state. Brown can no longer see the good for the evil surrounding him, and has lost all hope. Although Brown tried to resist the devil, in the end he failed in his journey of exploring evil and returning to the side of good.
Many authors have written and explained their views on how man struggles with the dilemmas of good and evil. None have quite taken it in to such an intricate setting as Nathaniel Hawthorne did in "Young Goodman Brown." All through the story Brown deals with his internal battle between his faith and the lure of the devil. As he leaves his home on the forest trail and attends the communion of the night Brown goes through several mental battles of good and evil which leave the reader wondering whether he actually lived through the experience or just imagined the whole thing.
The Misfit tells the reader “My daddy said I was a different breed of dog from my brothers and sisters. ‘You know,’ Daddy said, ‘it’s some that can live their whole life out without asking about it and it’s others has to know why it is, and this boy is one of the latters. He’s going to be into everything!’ ” (O’Connor 1312). The Misfit never backed down from anything which is why his life is the way it is. The Misfit was the one, not good but not the worst either, person to make a stand and to ask why to justice system and his religion. These are the two belief systems that most won’t ever question, which is why the Misfit is such a controversial character. He will never stop asking, and will go against whatever to do what he sees fit, whether it be killing a man or changing his tire.
His name also becomes a multilayered metaphor. Being known as “young” represents Goodman Browns innocence and virtue. He is also condensed to represent his own consciousness. But, by leaving his wife, Faith, Young Goodman Brown is giving into the unconscious. " He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through, and closed immediately behind" (Kelly, 191).
The fight between good and evil is present inside every person. For example, forgiveness and revenge are on opposite ends of the spectrum, yet people may be more inclined to seek revenge instead of choosing to forgive. Thus, humanity is in a constant struggle to fight against an evil inclination. Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays this human dilemma in his short story “Young Goodman Brown”, which is about a man leaving his loving wife to travel into the forest for the night. He believes no harm will come of his actions and promises a fulfilling life with his wife after his encounter. Instead, Brown’s errand within the forest changes his aspect on the whole of humanity and uproots his beliefs in God. Hawthorne uses his characters’ names, Faith’s actions, and the townspeople as a whole to demonstrate how humanity’s nature has an inclination towards hypocrisy and evil.
Nathaniel Hawthorne's famous Young Goodman Brown is one of the most interesting, yet creepy short stories written. Within this beautifully structured story of the 19th century, is a man whose curiosity started the fight between good and evil inside each individual human being. In addition, the story tells the tragic relationship between the main character Young Goodman, and his young wife. Throughout the story, Goodman's character development is affected by the experiences he goes through. At the beginning, Goodman is a good young man with faith in everyone's "pure intentions." He innocently believes in the good in everyone, but towards the end of the story, he's view on the world changes. He ends up having a dark perspective and finds himself unable to trust those around him.
Goodman Brown, a young man who was only married for three months, left his home and his wife, Faith, to go into the forest and spend the night on some mission that he will not explain. Even though Faith has strong feelings about his journey and begs him not to leave, Brown has made his decision and leaves everything behind. Faith is appropriately named, because she represents Browns faith and what he believes in. The name is genuine, religious and hopeful. It represents the good side of Brown and his hope for life. He feels bad for leaving her because he knows what he is about to do is evil and goes against his faith. Brown swears that after this night he will be good and not do anything evil again and vow his life to Faith. Brown is upset about leaving her because he knows that what he is about to do in the forest is evil and goes against his Faith. Hawthorne describes Browns journey as "crossing the threshold", meaning that he is going from one part of his life to another, he is leaving the genuine good side to go to the bad evil side.
The story begins with the line, "Young Goodman Brown came forth at sunset into the street of Salem village; but put his head back, after crossing the threshold, to exchang a parting kiss with his young wife,". At this point of the story, there partial daylight and Goodman Brown is consciously aware of his trust in his wife, Faith, his faith in his religion. He says to his wife, "of all nights in the year, this one night must I tarry away from thee, My journey, as thou callest it, forth and back again, must needs be done 'twixt now and sunrise,". Goodman Brown feels that something inside him needs to go on this journey. There is a reason why he consciously feels like he has to go; he needs to test the perceptions he has of his life. By leaving at sunset, Goodman Brown is going into the darkness; the light is gone, and the night represents unsafety. The night allows Goodman Brown to sink deeper into the depths of his conscience, causing his mind to be less alert; thus, representing the unsafety. He is willing to accept this unsafety, however, in order to test his perceptions. In order to clear his conscience, he must take this journry, which can occur only on this very night.
In Young Goodman Brown, the main character, Goodman Brown is portrayed as a faithful and religious rooted person who is tempted to do something that he knows is wrong. The story has two distinct settings, which is town of Salem and the forest. The space of transformation would be the forest where Brown saw his wife and friends...
This different mode of thought allowed him to create truth from fiction, turmoil from solidarity. By using ambiguous words he was able to create a real wife for Goodman Brown, while also creating a religious experience for Mr. Brown. The name alone is not really significant, but when coupled with the serious religious undertones of the text, it becomes crucial. Goodman Brown lost Faith. He lost his wife faith, the faith he held in his town, and at one point his faith in God's ability to protect those who choose to serve Him.