Similarities And Differences Between Young Goodman Brown And Soldier's Home

In the two stories, “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and “Soldier’s Home”, by Ernest Hemingway, illustrates many attitudes that express home going and how this affected the main characters. The stories are very ironic and can be read on different levels. The titles of the stories speak a lot for itself and a person may think that the name of the story may be about a good man or a soldier’s life, which they are but it is more than that. In these two stories, the young men had journeys which changed their lives. These two characters are Goodman Brown and Harold Krebs; as well as the authors Nathaniel Hawthorne and Ernest Hemingway who are similar to these characters, and share similar characteristics.

In the story, “Young Goodman Brown”, Brown centers as an allegory. Allegory is “a story in which the characters and events are symbols that stand for ideas about human life…” (Allegory). According to Myers, “Hawthorne wrote about individuals who suffer from inner conflicts caused by sin, pride, untested innocence, hidden guilt…” (400). Goodman Brown suffer from some of those conflicts which are sin and pride. Goodman Brown had a strong belief in his religion, but he tested his belief and faith by listening to his inner self. In “Young Goodman Brown”, Brown’s life change when he started his journey leaving his wife Faith into the darkness. His inner self told him to walk this path even though Faith begged him to stay. Along the way he meet people he knew but he met a particular one that change his life which was the devil. Brown was overwhelmed of all the people he thought were good innocence people but really was not because they took the same path as him. While on this path he was losing his faith little by little but he...

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...d is similar to Krebs in “Soldier’s Home”. The two authors’ journey are similar to the characters they have created, and affected their life too in the process.

In conclusion, “Young Goodman Brown” and “Soldier’s Home”, are very ironic and can be read on many levels. The young men Goodman Brown and Harold Krebs had journeys that change their life as well as the authors that have similar characteristics of the two. Goodman Brown journey change when he took the path into the darkness and lost his faith. Harold Krebs, on the other hand had lied about his experience in the war which had an effect on his life which kept him silence for a while. Lastly, the two authors Nathaniel Hawthorne and Ernest Hemingway who have similar characteristics of the two characters; which made their journey difficult in life. These men all had journeys which changed their lives in the end.