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The character of Young Goodman Brown
The character of Young Goodman Brown
Effect of puritanism in american literature
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Hawthorne’s tale “Young Goodman Brown” draws the story of an exemplary Puritan who is tempted to sin by the devil. In Salem, a village recognized due to its hypocritical witch trials, and thus, demonstrating that sins exist hidden behind everyone’s “pure” life. Goodman’s sins start off when lying to Faith, his wife that represents pureness and light, leaving her alone while he gets into the woods. Then, ignoring his own sins hiding himself behind the trees whenever a “remarkable” Puritan figure of the village shows up in the dark and sinful woods. Led by the devil, Goodman Brown gathers up with sinners and people, who feign to undoubtedly follow what their God dictates, in a meeting where he is invited to be a sinner. This part of the tale shows how hypocritical people of his village were. However, the next day, it all appeared to be a dream, but he had lost his faith and devotion for his religion dying unhappy and miserable. It exists a sense of hypocrisy throughout the whole story and, in case the tale is true, …show more content…
Indeed, no one is exempt of being invited to sin, even if you are the most devoted person or the least religious person. In the Goodman’s meeting in the woods, the highest ranks of the community and religion where exposed as sinners showing Goodman that the people he looks up and admires have done so non-pure things. As Goodman thinks on taking a decision on whether step back or continue with the ceremony, he unconsciously searches for a family advice, he sees his dad, inviting him to sin, while his mom tells him to go back and leave. Regardless, he keeps thinking that not everyone was meant to go against God’s willing as he doesn’t see Faith within the crowd. However, Faith manifests as being the other person invited to the ceremony and when Godman sees how the purest representative he knew was also tempted to sin, he lost the little hope he had left quitting his faith and living
Good and Evil is present in many stories, although you may not see it all of the time, it may be represented by symbols. In the story "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne there are many symbols of good and evil. The pink ribbons on Faiths cap are mentioned often in the story and are a major symbol in the story. The "woods" and "the staff" are also mentioned throughout the story, and they also have another meaning. Symbols are a prominent part of nearly every story, they help improve the story by branching out on the main idea with other meanings in the story.
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14:31) The manner in which Goodman Brown based his faith is a very good example of how not to base one’s faith. The strength of Goodman Browns faith was based on his wife’s faith, his trust in his neighbors, and his personal experiences. The strength of one’s faith is one of the most important aspects of any person, and it is especially important in the story Young Goodman Brown.
Young Goodman Brown was a man who was naïve to the world around him. Ever since he was a child, he had always practiced a very Godly life. Not only does he believe that everyone around him follows the same path, but he also believes that it is the only path. This naivety and innocence was taken from him by the Devil, who opened his eyes to the world of evil around him. After the pagan ceremony, which Brown attends, the Devil even states “Now are ye undeceived! Evil is the nature of mankind” (Hawthorne 9). By saying this, Hawthorne is trying to say that it is better to know the whole truth than to live a lie. By not knowing the truth about evil existing in Salem village, Brown has essentially been living a life that is not complete or accurate. This perfect and fair world that was found in the Bible is not the real world that surrounds him. When his innocence is stolen from him so abruptly, he begins to lose both his faith and stability in the world.
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
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.
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
“Lead me not into temptation. I can find the way myself,” Rita Mae Brown once remarked. Temptation is all around, no matter where one might be, there is no use in going out and looking for it. For some individuals, the enticement is so strong that it has caused them to break away from the ties that once bound them to their upbringing, such as faith, but for others, it has brought them even closer to their faith. There is no questioning whether or not one would be strong enough to deny the temptation in order to remain pure, but, rather one’s faith is strong enough to go through the test that has been taking place since the very beginning when Adam and Eve were tempted in the Garden of Eden. Tone and symbolism throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne’s
As he traveled through the gloomy woods, he knew what he was going to see, but still wanted to witness what happens in the ceremony at the same time he wanted nothing to do with the devil “it is my purpose to return whence I came” Goodman wanting to turn back to the village couldn’t because the old man kept telling him about his father, Goodman wanted to know more. After he finished his conversation he started to return home when he thought he heard Faith’s voice, so he went and grabbed the staff “Goodman Brown grasp his staff and set forth, at such a rate that he seemed to fly along the forest path”, right at that moment his spiritual faith had become corrupted for the worse. Goodman not sure what to believe anymore, he has a moral dilemma between his thinking everyone is a follower of the devil, and seeing the good in
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.
Through the work of "Young Goodman Brown," Hawthorne is able to express his views of hypocrisy in Puritanism. Goodman Brown was convinced that his Puritan family was sinless and deserved to be honored. When traveling through the forest he says, "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" ("Young Goodman Brown" 238). What Goodman Brown does not know is that his previous generations have taken part in these sinful actions that occurred in the woods. Although Brown's ancestors were supposedly righteous Puritans, they were involved in lashing a Quaker woman and setting fire to an Indian village, according to the traveler speaking with Brown. Through these stories that the traveler tells, Hawthorne makes known to his readers that Puritan's are hypocrites because they say they are holy and pure when in reality they are committing impious actions. Throughout this story Young Goodman Brown takes his journey through the woods and sees nearly eve...
After reading this the first time, my first thought was "did this actually take place or did Brown just dream the whole thing?" Hawthorne purposely makes that fact ambiguous. He poses the same type of question in the end of the story. To me, this is appropriate. The story centers on evil being something hidden in this small town. The preacher goes about his praying, the old woman continues catechizing a little girl, etc. all after Brown has "witnessed" the witch meeting in the forest. By not being clear if this was a dream or not, Hawthorne supports the hidden nature that the people have in the story. He covers up the truth just as the village people hid their sinful life that Brown was witness to. This way, the story and the people in the village remain a mystery to the reader just as the truth remains a mystery to Brown.
Goodman Brown embarks on his journey into the forest with the fervent belief that his potent dedication is indomitably ironclad, and thus will be able to overcome even the most tempting persuasions of the devil. As Goodman and the devil continue sauntering along the serpentine path, they encounter Goodman’s old catechism teacher, Goody Cloyse, and it is eventually revealed that she is heading to the satanic occult meeting at the core of the forest. Goodman is absolutely confounded at the sight of her, as he had always considered Cloyse as a moral and spiritual guide in his life. Goody Cloyse’s appearance is the first moment where Goodman begins to question his faith. Brown's illusions about the purity of his society are finally obliterated when he discovers that many of his fellow townspeople, including religious leaders and his wife (aptly named Faith), are attending a Black Mass or “witch-meeting”. At the end of the story, it is not clear whether Brown's experience was a nightmare or biting reality, but the results are nonetheless the same. Brown is unable to forgive the possibility of evil in his loved ones, and as a result spends the rest of his life in desperate loneliness and gloom.
From Young Goodman Brown, Hawthorne is able to address the issue of Puritanism and how he criticizes their beliefs. The Puritan society often had their fixation on the common good. They want people to abide by their rules in order to live a “happy” life. The need to remain pure at all times has left people to be miserable. From Brown’s experience, Hawthorne reflects on their beliefs and the end results are not of peace and faith.
Right from the beginning of the story he strays from his faith and charts on a path to evil. This is one reason for his weakness. Goodman’s temptation for the journey is making him go against what he believes in. Nevertheless, he leaves his wife to go on a journey with a character that presents himself as the devil. The man is descried as being similar to Goodman, it says in the text that they don’t look alike but how he acts (Hawthorne 191).
Goodman hoped that once he had appeased his curiosity he would be able to return to a pious and faith filled life. He stated,” With heaven above and faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil!” (Hawthorne 152). This story shows, however, that knowledge is like poison and the evil so detested by the Puritans was already rooted in the hearts of even the most respected of saints, as the devil’s monolog in the center of the story reveals: “’There . . .