Young Goodman Brown And Paradise Lost Comparison

Have you ever wondered what sets the suitable writers apart from the exceptional ones? One of the most valued tools used in writing is the ability to build their story using imagery and characterization to construct a scene for the reader. This allows them to feel as if they themselves are directly plotted into the story and can relate to the characters on a personal level. Imagery and characterization contribute to the development in “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Paradise Lost by John Milton.

When discussing imagery, Hawthorne and Milton portray a contrasting picture in our minds. “Young Goodman Brown,” which acquires a wicked unknown world that lies before us, whereas Paradise Lost illustrates a sense of perfection and unity. At the beginning of the short story, “Young Goodman Brown came forth at sunset into the street at Salem village; but put his head back, after crossing the threshold, to exchange a parting kiss with his young wife.” The images of the sun setting and nightfall soon approaching give the reader an illustration of the unknown adventures and trials that lie ahead. Hawthorne depicts the unidentified world with the forest that is filled of “people with frightful sounds – the creaking of the trees, the howling of wild beats, and the yell of Indians… as if all of Nature were laughing him to scorn.” These eerie illusions send the reader

In both “Young Goodman Brown” and Paradise Lost, Hawthorne and Milton both portray a character, which is built upon the sense of hypocrisy and deception. “For they tell me there is a nice young man to be taken into communion to-night. But now your good worship will lend me your arm, and we shall be there in a twinkling.” claimed the elderly man enticing Goodman Brown to fall into his cunning proposal.