Young Goodman Brown Research Paper

There are three as aspects of history that are relevant to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”. In “Young Goodman Brown”, Hawthorne develops a likeness that has close ties with the storied events that transpired during the Puritans’ era. The three aspects of history that occurred are that of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, a series of hearings and prosecutions of those accused of witchcraft. Secondly, the Puritan intolerance of the Quakers in the 1650s, as Quakers were seen as heretics in the eyes of the Puritans and were persecuted. Lastly, King Philip’s War, an armed conflict between the Native American inhabitants of present-day New England and English colonists along with their Native American allies. The first aspect of history were the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Trials were a series of cases brought upon a settlement called Salem in Massachusetts Bay, who were accused of

The theme being mostly focused on morality, religion, and unknowingness, these three points connect the story “Young Goodman Brown” to the persecution towards the Quakers. Hawthorne reveals Puritan society’s emphasis on public morality where they cannot see right from wrong and only believe in their own righteousness. “An errand into the Wilderness’, a common metaphor for the Puritan undertaking in colonizing New England, and with their strong principles towards their religion they sought to “purify” those who were not the same, just as were the villagers in “Young Goodman Brown”. The fear of unknowingness is a significant factor in Puritans, Quakers, and even the Salem Witch Trials. This xenophobia is common throughout both the 17th century New England and Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”. Knowing of the persecution of the Quakers during the 1650s by the Puritans helps understand the themes conveyed in Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman