“‘With heaven above, and Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil!’” (Hawthorne 639). The strict value of religious devoutness as encompassed by Puritan tenets is revealed along with the plausible consequences when the ideology of one is demoralized. Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts this faithful regime through his short story “Young Goodman Brown.” However, Goodman Brown, originally an exemplary advocate, tests these ideals as he fraternizes with the evil incarnate himself as he undertakes an adventure that he describes as an “evil purpose.” The author utilizes several literary techniques, the most prominent being satire, in order to depict the similarities between Goodman Brown’s psychological state and the increasingly obscure forest …show more content…
path he travels as he experiences an intense encounter with darkness that allows the author to portray strict Puritan values and the way in which people mindlessly conform to them. Goodman Brown, being a model Puritan, undergoes a significant psychological conflict as he travels down the continuously darkening path and comes across many previously pious individuals that had shaped his religious values.
Hawthorne establishes the scene using detailed imagery in order to create a mental equivalent of the emotions waging war in Goodman Brown’s mind. As Brown begins the expedition, his trail is described as, “. . .dreary, darkened by all the gloomiest of trees of the forest which barely stood aside to let the narrow path through, and closed immediately behind” (635). Similar to the forest path, Goodman Brown is feeling dismal, only his state of mind is shadowed by the impending evil he approaches. Not only that, but the idea that the path closes instantly behind represents the closure to Brown’s former oblivious nature of religion. Imagery, as utilized by Hawthorne, continuously portrays the inner thoughts of Goodman …show more content…
Brown. This continues as Brown meets the first of three important characters on his endeavor. Ironically, he first meets the devil. Because he realizes who is accompanying him, Brown begins to walk slowly, questioning his actions. He fervently tells the devil, “‘My father never went into the woods on such an errand, nor his father before him. We have been a race of honest men and good Christians since the days of the martyrs; and I shall be the first of the name of Brown that ever took this path. . .’” (636). It is obvious that Young Goodman Brown firmly believes that both his grandfather and father never consorted with the evil being. Brown’s certainty is proven wrong as the devil reciprocates, “‘I have been as well acquainted with you family as with ever a one among the Puritans’” (636). Hawthorne applies irony in order to create doubt within Goodman Brown in regards to all of the men and women that raised him as a prudish Puritan. Moreover, this irony is elevated when Goodman Brown is introduced to someone he assumed he knew. Similar to his grandfather and father, Goodman Brown believes Goody Cloyse is a saint. Goody Cloyse played a large role in the church, often teaching young children. Despite the earlier knowledge acquired about his father, Brown still believes in the goodness of everyone. Ashamed of his night’s true purpose, he wonders, “A marvel, truly, that Goody Cloyse be so far in the wilderness at night fall. . .I shall take a cut through the woods until we have left this Christian woman behind” (637). By referencing Cloyse’s movement down the path, Hawthorne is foreshadowing, giving the reader an idea of Goody Cloyse’s actual nature. This concept is supported as Hawthorne exercises diction as Goody Cloyse speaks to the devil, “‘Ah, your worship knows the recipe’ cried the old lady, cackling aloud” (637). To begin, she refers to the devil as ‘your worship.’ Not only that, but the Hawthorne describes Goody Cloyse’s voice as a cackle. The connotation of this word suggests to the reader that she is witch-like, an undesirable trait among the Puritans, seeing as the Salem Witch Trials were occurring during this period of time. At this point, Goodman Brown is emotionally distraught. The trend persists when Brown comes across his deacon. Once again, he hides himself in disgrace, yet the deacon and his companion journey deeper into the woods than Brown has gone himself. Once again, the woods represents the crossover from good to evil, and Brown watches as the head of the church, the highest mortal power of faith, gives himself over to the devil. Finally, after meeting these previously devout individuals, there is one last ultimate reunion that pushes Goodman Brown off the edge. He comes across his wife, Faith. Furthermore, he witnesses her participating in the evil incarnate’s ritual. Faith was formerly described by Brown himself as, “My love and my Faith. . .a blessed angel on earth. . .” (634). Considering Brown’s feelings towards his wife, when he wails, “‘My Faith is gone!’” (639) it is not difficult to recognize Hawthorne’s use of symbolism to embody both Goodman Brown’s wife and his religious principles. When Brown loses wife, he also loses his faith, and all control is gone. Yet again Hawthorne utilizes imagery to construe Brown’s current psychological state, “The road grew wilder, and more faintly traced, and vanished at length, leaving him in the heart of the dark wilderness, still rushing onward with the instinct that guides mortal man to evil” (640). Everything known to Brown was lost. He participated fully in the conversion to evil, and because he experienced true deception, his religious values were destroyed. Shattered, his Puritan beliefs seem distant.
After returning to his village, Brown has difficulty connecting with the town’s members due to his interaction with evil. Satire is a large part of the story because Hawthorne ridicules the thoughtless process of religion. Goodman Brown mindlessly followed, heart and soul, until a single brush with the devil. After that, he no longer feels a part of the community that never questions Puritan faith. Not only did he lose his faith, he lost his wife as well. In contrast to the evil incarnate, Faith represents the incontrovertible religion. “Often awakening suddenly at midnight, he shrank from the bosom of Faith. . .” (644). Whether this means his wife or devoutness, Goodman Brown’s life is forever
altered. The journey down the forest path ruined Goodman Brown’s life because he could no longer mindlessly believe in his previous values. To portray this progression, Hawthorne uses detailed imagery. As Brown continues to travel down the path, he ironically meets his religious advisors that are in cahoots with the devil. Finally, Hawthorne involves satire by exposing the careless conformation many individuals engage in when part of a church. In the end, it is unmistakable how the author compares the forest path to Goodman Brown’s declining mental state and uses satire to explore the mindless conformity within the Puritan religion. Hawthorne leaves readers wondering if the theme of this story is present in their life. Is it possible to thoughtlessly conform to any of the modern religions? And, if so, how many out there are like Goodman Brown, unable to associate because of a single encounter that managed to shape one’s entire life?
First, we will start with Goodman Brown. He is the main character in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story titled “Young Goodman Brown”. “Hawthorne could not escape the influence of Puritan society” (McCabe). I think that Hawthorne’s own past is and complications are reveled in his story about Goodman Brown. I believe that Goodman Brown has had a rough past and is trying to reach beyond his past in order to reach heaven. Goodman has some major problems with his wife, Faith, and everyone else in his community. I think that he is seeing everyone as perfect people, but he is having impure thoughts about himself and his past. In order to deal with these problems within himself, he is making up that everyone has this awful bad side. When he goes into the forest, he believes he is talking to the devil with looks much like his grandfather. The devil is feeding him bad thoughts about everyone he knows, even his own father and his wife Faith. Next, I believe that Goodman Brown has had a rough past and in order for him to overcome this within himself he must search for attention. This attention may not be needed from his wife or community members, I believe it is needed from him. He is feeling overwhelmed with obligations from his wife and peers that he has no time to decide whether this type of life is right for him. So, in search for the answer to his questions about life, he turns to the devil and takes his...
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.
Nathaniel Hawthorne was an extraordinary writer, who used real life experiences in every one of his stories. However, growing up in a Puritan society during a reformation gave Hawthorne a distorted view on God’s character. Hawthorne was intelligent, but by no means a people person, which created a pathway for him to become an author. There were a few key points in his life growing in a religion zealous society that lead him to abandon his faith. Hence, the short story of “Young Goodman Brown” representing that humans are cynical and evil, and the dangers of losing your faith in God.
During Goodman Brown’s journey, he recognized Goody Cloyse, his catechism teacher, the preacher, and Deacon Gookin is going to the devil’s meeting. However, after seeing his church members at the devil’s meeting, Goodman says, “My Faith is gone! and There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come devil! for to thee is this world given” (Hawthorne 27). “But, where is Faith?”, asked Goodman Brown (Hawthorne 29). As hope came into his heart, he trembled when he found the pink ribbon of his wife, Faith, in the forest. At that moment, Goodman Brown lost his faith in his family and church members. Goodman becomes unforgiving of others and believes only evil can be created from evil and there is nothing that anyone can do to change it. Here, Hawthorne demonstrates that a naive faith in our family, friends, and church member’s righteousness could lead to distrust. While, “Young Goodman Brown” lives a long life with Faith, he never loses his meanness toward humanity and the evil in the world, “for his dying hour was gloom” (Hawthorne
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.
In Young Goodman Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the tale of a man and his discovery of evil. Hawthorne’s primary concern is with evil and how it affects Young Goodman Brown. Through the use of tone and setting, Hawthorne portrays the nature of evil and the psychological effects it can have on man. He shows how discovering the existence of evil brings Brown to view the world in a cynical way. Brown learns the nature of evil and, therefore, feels surrounded by its presence constantly.
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.”
Hawthorne uses symbolism 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. The character of Faith is Goodman Brown's spouse, but she is also a symbol of his faith in mankind. Brown's relationship with Faith changes as the story progresses, from tender and caring love to judgmental scorn. Brown's thoughts about Faith as he leaves on his journey are: "Poor little Faith...she's a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night, I'll cling to her skirts and follow her to Heaven"(212). This statement shows that the protagonist has a deep love for his faith and knows that it can be his salvation. Later in the journey Brown offers his faith as the last reason to abort his walk with the devil: "Well, then, to end the matter at once,... there is my wife, Faith. It would break her dear little heart; and I'd rather break my own!" (214). At this point his faith is still more important to him than his own life. Later, just...
Goodman Brown heads into the forest for an undetermined journey. Which is assumed that he is going out to do one last act of sin then come back and stay faithful to his wife Faith. Goodman Brown 's wife Faith is a symbol for his religious faith. Before his voyage he is held up by Faith. " 'pr 'y thee, put off your journey until sunrise, and sleep in your own bed to-night. A lone women is troubled with such dreams and such thoughts, that she 's afeard of herself, sometimes. Pray, tarry with me this night, dear husband, of all nights in the year!" ' (Hawthorne ). Goodman Brown goes on his journey in the woods and when he talks to the man that he comes across in the forest he says that he knows Goodman Brown 's family. " 'Well said, Goodman Brown! I have been as wee acquainted with your family as with ever a one among the Puritans; and that 's no trifle to say. I helped your grandfather, the constable, when he lashed the Quaker women so smartly through the streets of Salem. And it was I that brought your father a pitch-pine knot, kindled at my own hearth, to set fire to an Indian village, In King Philip 's War. They were my good friends, both; and many a pleasant walk have we had along this path, and returned merrily after midnight. I would fain be friends with you, for their sake. '" (Hawthorne ). Goodman Brown then begins to see all of the
Young Goodman Brown goes into the forest at first with only a small expectation of what he is going to experience. Of his fellow Puritan society he sees the bad seeds as well as supposed men and women of the utmost regard. He sees virgin girls filled with reverence and innocence, and even members of the church present at the devil’s ceremony. This causes Young Goodman Brown to question his entire upbringing and trust in his society. It creates...
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
...Brown, like all humans, sees that everyone can be corrupt and immoral, that it is possible for people to make mistakes. This is extremely disappointing to brown and ruins him. Brown felt that he made the right decision and did not follow the devil, but everyone else around him did. Even his own wife follows the devil. She is supposed to represent holiness and faith, and she is just as corrupt as everyone else. This portrays how even the church, which is supposed to be holy, can be corrupt. The story symbolizes that everyone in society is flawed and no one is perfect. However this idea drives Goodman brown to become insane. He dwells on this fact and loses his ability to see the good in people as well as the bad. Brown couldn't realize that even if people are evil at times, they can still be good people. This is what caused brown to change so drastically.
It is surprising, in a way, to discover how few of the many critics who have discussed "Young Goodman Brown'' agree on any aspect of the work except that it is an excellent short story. D. M. McKeithan says that its theme is "sin and its blighting effects." Richard H. Fogle observes, "Hawthorne the artist refuses to limit himself to a single and doctrinaire conclusion, proceeding instead by indirection,'' implying, presumably, that it is inartistic to say something which can be clearly understood by the readers. Gordon and Tate assert, "Hawthorne is dealing with his favorite theme: the unhappiness which the human heart suffers as a result of its innate depravity." Austin Warren says, ''His point is the devastating effect of moral scepticism." Almost all critics agree, however, that Young Goodman Brown lost his faith. Their conclusions are based, perhaps, upon the statement, "My Faith is gone!" made by Brown when he recognizes his wife's voice and ribbon. I should like to examine the story once more to show that Young Goodman Brown did not lose his faith at all. In fact, not only did he retain his faith, but during his horrible experience he actually discovered the full and frightening significance of his faith.
“Young Goodman Brown”, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, delves into the classic battle between good and evil; taking the protagonist, Goodman Brown, on a journey to test the resolve of his faith. Goodman ventures out on his expedition deep into the sinister forest, in order to repudiate the attempt of the devil to sway him from Christianity; a test he believes his devout faith is prepared to confront. Goodman Brown is forever altered in ways unforeseeable by taking a stroll with the ultimate antagonist, the devil himself. The prevailing theme in this literary work, which is common in Hawthorne’s gothic writing, is the realization that evil can infect people who seem perfectly respectable. Throughout the course of his journey, Goodman Brown discovers that even highly reputable people of Salem are vulnerable to the forces of darkness.
Young Goodman Brown is a newlywed Puritan who leaves his wife, Faith on what he terms “an errand,” which the reader later learns to be a meeting with the devil. Brown believes he can face and resist the devil. Initially, his wife, Faith, begs him to stay, and Brown patronizingly soothes her only to discover her as one of the devil’s converts. Ultimately, Brown holds Faith most culpable for his disillusion with the supposed elect of his community.