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Conflict in "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Young goodman brown nathaniel hawthorne analyse
Analysis of Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne
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Mankind has a history of turning away from God and embracing evil. From the days of Cain to the present, there is a chain of men and women who have forsaken the promise of salvation in favor of what we call Satanism. Literature has sought to record this turning away in many instances. Even today, alternative, rebellious youths practice pseudo-Satanism. However, what remains unclear is the surviving appeal of the essentially self-defeating religion. Dr. Faustus sells his soul to the Devil in return for worldly success. Macbeth deals with the witches for their aid in prophesying his future. Even King Solomon consults a witch to assist the Israeli forces in battle. Yet, there are no real benefits to satanic worship. Any earthly gains are offset by eternal damnation. There must be some inherent appeal to Satan worship in the human psyche. Young Goodman Brown demonstrates the appeal of Satan worship due to its aspects of conspiracy, rebellion and man's inherent attraction to evil.
Human beings have an inherent desire for the companionship that is accessory to the state of conspiracy. Human beings are social creatures. We desire and need human contact. The popularity of the Kairos retreat is an example of the appeal of brotherhood and secrecy. The appeal of underground cults, such as Satan worship or Freemasonry lies in the occult sharing of secrecy. The society described by Mr. Hawthorne certainly fits this category. Goodman Brown is described as feeling a "loathsome brotherhood" with the gathered cultists. (108) The presider promises that the catechumens will gain knowledge of the "secret deeds" of their fellow townsmen. (108) It is significant to note that all of the people whom Goodman Brown admired are included in the diabolica...
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... character synthesizes this theme eloquently, explaining the "sympathy of your human hearts for sin." (109) "Evil is the nature of mankind," explains the fiend. (109) The final element that explains the appeal of Satan worship become clear as the supposed darkness of man's own soul is revealed.
The attraction of Satan worship can be seen as the derivative of basic evil in the human condition, the desire for rebellion and the desire for conspiracy. Since these aspects apply equally to all of the characters in the story, it logically follows that none of the members of society at large are unaffected. It appears that this seemingly isolated occurrence of Satanism is a condition of the human existence: perhaps the yan to a Christian yin. In that case, there is nowhere to hide from the all-pervasive influence of evil, not even within the confines of the human mind.
Stripes and stars forever, right? Well, what exactly does that mean? The American Flag can be seen almost anywhere. From the high-school, to the ball park, and even in our homes, the American flag stands as a symbol of all that is good and true in America. When one thinks of the flag, they usually think of the blood that was shed for this country. It was shed so that we could have liberties, such as, freedom of speech and expression, which fall under the first amendment rights of the Constitution. However, when you think of a burning flag, what comes to mind? One might say it shows disrespect and hatred to a country that has given so much. In the case of Texas v. Johnson, Gregory Lee Johnson was accused of desecrating a sacred object, but, his actions were protected by the First Amendment. Although his actions may have been offensive, he did not utter fighting words. By burning the flag, Johnson did not infringe upon another's natural human rights. He was simply expressing his outrage towards the government, which is within the jurisdiction of the First Amendment.
sunrise" (611). Goodman Brown knows exactly what he is going to look for, he is
...ces and the reactions he chose to have. The book serves as a moral, if the monster had been given proper attention and guidance he could have been accepted and become ‘good’ but since society chose to outcast him and treat him cruelly, he mimicked those behaviors and likewise in turn treated humanity with cruelty. The development of the monster was extensive in the emotional, psychological and intellectual areas, the dualism of his personality gives him a double-identity which leaves us to question whether he truly became like Adam or Satan.
In Young Goodman Brown, Hawthorne tells the story of a young man discovering man's true nature in a fantasized visit to hell. He encounters a world where everyone is equally evil, including the most "holy" of people. Hawthorne's hell is a parallel to the influence of the Church on the real world.
O'Driscoll, P. (2005, Jun 28). 'BTK' calmly gives horrific details ; serial killer who stalked wichita enters guilty plea. USA TODAY. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/408976968?accountid=10244
African American history plays a huge role in history today. From decades of research we can see the process that this culture went through and how they were depressed and deculturalized. In school, we take the time to learn about African American History but, we fail to see the aspects that African Americans had to overcome to be where they are today. We also fail to view life in their shoes and fundamentally understand the hardships and processes that they went through. African Americans were treated so terribly and poor in the last century and, they still are today. As a subordinate race to the American White race, African Americans were not treated equal, fair, human, or right under any circumstances. Being in the subordinate position African Americans are controlled by the higher white group in everything that they do.
The latest amendment to the Florida constitution reduces the average class size in schools around the state. Although many people believe that smaller class size will help students learn by giving them more time individually with their teacher, studies prove that class size has little or no effect on student achievement. The class-size amendment is a waste of non-existent money, and in the long run, it will only hurt Florida’s economy and the education program.
The dissenting opinion to the previous idea is that the government's legitimate interest in preserving the symbolic value of the flag is, however, essentially the same that may have motivated a particular act of flag burning. The flag uniquely symbolizes the ideas of liberty, equality, and tolerance -- ideas that Americans have passionately defended and debated throughout our history. The flag embodies the spirit of our national commitment to those ideals. To the world, the flag is our promise that we will continue to strive for these ideals. To us, the flag is a reminder both that the struggle for li...
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.”
Wicked, dishonorable, corrupt, villainous, malicious, and vicious all have one thing in common: they define evil. A person or a group of people that display these qualities are often defined as evil beings or creatures. Two people that have many of these characteristics developed within them are Iago from Shakespeare’s Othello and Lucifer from the Bible. Both Iago and Lucifer are developed with many “evil” qualities woven intricately into their character development. The representation of each “evil” characteristic gives them something they have in common, allowing the description and portrayal of both Iago and Lucifer in literature show the audience they share common “evil” characteristics and that they lead to chaos and downfall.
The main focus of the story “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is the triumph of evil over good. A supposedly good man is tempted by evil and allows himself to be converted into a man of evil. This is much like the situation that arises in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, where two people are tempted to sin and give in thus submitting themselves to the power of the devil. In this novel, the area where the devil resides is strictly parallel to that in “Young Goodman Brown”.
...s, by his own free will, to continue to worship the devil "Faustus vows never to look to Heaven, never to the name God, or to pray to him, to burn his Scriptures, slay his ministers and to make my spirits pull his churches down." (Pg. 28, Marlowe) Therefore, there is no single cause of evil and when humankind does evil; it is the cause of its own evil doing.
Kulikoff, A. (2000). From British peasants to colonial American farmers. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
D. At first, Goodman Brown hesitated to follow the devil. However, he still decide to follow it with doubt. Even though, Brown knows what he was doing is a sin. This is a fine example of Goodman Brown’s ambivalence, of how he struggle between good and evil, between faith and the devil.
Ask anyone to draw Satan and you 'll get a red snake-like figure with horns and a pitchfork. Satan, as introduced in the Hebrew bible is an unworthy adversary of God. His longing to be like God is quickly recognized and dealt with. God banishes him from Heaven and sends him to Hell. That 's the last we see of him until he talks with God about his faithful servant Job. In each interaction we see Satan in, we get only a glimpse of who he really is. Satan 's motive is not developed and we assume he does evil simply because he is evil