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Temptation
Human morality is something that has confused generations. What makes a human choose to do something, and what defines something as good or bad. Nathaniel Hawthorne discusses the struggles of human morality and their desire for evil in his story Young Goodman Brown. The story follows a young man who was just married who claims to need to go somewhere and to leave the bed of his wife for only one night. He promises to come back the next morning and parts from her entering a dark forest, where he is then tempted by the devil. Hawthorne uses several literary techniques such as symbolism, dialogue, and characterization.
Young Goodman Brown, a simple man. Hawthorne uses the character’s names to symbolize something much greater in the
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story. His main character is named Young Goodman Brown. Young Goodman implies that this is a very nice respectable man in his town. He is exactly what his name claims for him, he is a goodman. He is young with very little mistakes made. His last name Brown is one of the most common last names, and that is exactly what Young Goodman Brown is, he is a common man. There is nothing special about him. Hawthorne does this to express how the temptation of evil and sin can happen to anyone; even the most simple common man. The devil does not choose based off of how simple you may seem, the devil attacks everyone as shown by the following quote from the serpent in the story, “Let us walk on nevertheless, reasoning as we go, and if I convince thee not, thou shalt turn back. We are but a little way in the forest yet” (Hawthorne 295). Even the most common man struggles with temptation. Goodman’s wife is also named for a symbol, her name is Faith. In the beginning of the story Faith and Goodman have a very strong relationship, but after experiencing the temptation of the devil, Faith and Goodman no longer have a strong relationship. Faith symbolizes faith in God. When Goodman tested his faith he lost his wife Faith, as shown by the following quote, “At the morning or eventide when the family knelt down at prayer, he scowled and muttered to himself and gazed sternly at his wife and turned away” (Hawthorne 303). Goodman lost his faith with only one try at the temptation of the devil. His whole life was changed the moment he entered that dark forest. Much of Young Goodman Brown occurs through a conversation of Goodman with this traveler.
The traveler uses extremely convincing and deceptive speech to lure Goodman further down the dreadful path. This persuasive speech is shown by the following quote, “I that brought your father that a pitch-pine knot kindled at my own hearth, to set fire to the Indian village, in King Phillip’s war. They were my good friends, both; and many a pleasant walk have we had along this path and returned merrily after midnight” (Hawthorne 295). The devil uses Goodman’s grandfather and father’s example to tempt the young man into following him further down the path of evil. When Goodman hears that his father and grandfather; who he looked up to; walked down this path, and returned back safely, he considers it a safe and good idea to continue on with the traveler. Hawthorne also uses dialogue to show the transfer of Goodman’s actions throughout the story. Originally he starts as a completely sane man but as the story progresses he changes, “Let us hear which will laugh loudest! Think not to frighten me with your deviltry! Come with, come wizard, come Indian powwow, come devil himself” (Hawthorne 299). Towards the end of the story Goodman begins to embrace the devil and loses his sanity though the one try at …show more content…
evil. Hawthorne characterizes all of his characters originally as very sweet people.
Goodman comes off as a very respectable, hard working, loyal man originally, and his wife Faith is extremely sweet and caring, as well as trusting. She allows her husband to leave her for the night only three months after marriage trusting he will make the right decision. But as Goosman gets tempted by the devil and begins to embrace evil, he transforms into what seems to be a completely different character who is angry as shown by the following quote from the end of the story, “A stern, a sad, a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a desperate man did he become from the night of that fearful dream” (Hawthorne 303). Hawthorne uses his characters to show the transition of people when they move away from faith and from religion and towards what the devil promises to be fulfilling. Faith who did not experience the temptations of the devil in the same way, does not transform the way Goodman Brown does throughout the story. When people move towards secular ideas they become bitter, and angry at life, unfulfilled, and struggling in a never ending search for
happiness. Hawthorne’s story Young Goodman Brown shows that when people move away from God and away from morality, and towards secular ideas, and the temptations of the devil they find themselves in an unfortunate position. A position of anger, of hatred, and of sadness. Never again will Goodman Brown be the same man as when he entered into the forest of temptations that one sorrowful night. When people give into what they believe seems more desirable, and towards only what they want, unwilling to think about others, and others happiness, they find that they are unhappy. There is a simple answer to this conundrum. Follow the ways of the Lord, and you will be lifted up in a great and happy eternity.
First, we will start with Goodman Brown. He is the main character in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story titled “Young Goodman Brown”. “Hawthorne could not escape the influence of Puritan society” (McCabe). I think that Hawthorne’s own past is and complications are reveled in his story about Goodman Brown. I believe that Goodman Brown has had a rough past and is trying to reach beyond his past in order to reach heaven. Goodman has some major problems with his wife, Faith, and everyone else in his community. I think that he is seeing everyone as perfect people, but he is having impure thoughts about himself and his past. In order to deal with these problems within himself, he is making up that everyone has this awful bad side. When he goes into the forest, he believes he is talking to the devil with looks much like his grandfather. The devil is feeding him bad thoughts about everyone he knows, even his own father and his wife Faith. Next, I believe that Goodman Brown has had a rough past and in order for him to overcome this within himself he must search for attention. This attention may not be needed from his wife or community members, I believe it is needed from him. He is feeling overwhelmed with obligations from his wife and peers that he has no time to decide whether this type of life is right for him. So, in search for the answer to his questions about life, he turns to the devil and takes his...
When Goodman Brown finally meets with the Devil, he declares that the reason he was late was because "Faith kept me back awhile." This statement has a double meaning because his wife physically prevented him from being on time for his meeting with the devil, but his faith to God psychologically delayed his meeting with the devil.
A rhetoric analysis can be defined as the breakdown of components used to make a persuasive argument or judgment on a particular subject or topic. The ability to make a conclusion or decision on a given thought or idea in a moment of seconds is a result of rhetorical analysis. “Because media rhetoric surrounds us, it is important to understand how rhetoric works. If we refuse to stop and think about how and why it persuades us, we can become mindless consumers who buy into arguments about what makes us value ourselves and what makes us happy”. In Carroll’s essay “Backpacks Vs. Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis”, she discusses the nature of rhetorical analysis, how it affects our everyday lives and explains the role context plays.
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
In "Young Goodman Brown," Nathaniel Hawthorne, through the use of deceptive imagery, creates a sense of uncertainty that illuminates the theme of man's inability to operate within a framework of moral absolutism. Within every man there is an innate difference between good and evil and Hawthorne's deliberate use of ambiguity mirrors this complexity of human nature. Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown, is misled by believing in the perfectibility of humanity and in the existence of moral absolutes. According to Nancy Bunge, Hawthorne naturally centers his story upon a Puritan protagonist to convey the "self-righteous" that he regards as the "antithesis of wisdom"(4). Consequently, Young Goodman Brown is unable to accept the indefinable vision of betrayal and evil that he encounters in the forest. The uncertainty of this vision, enhanced by Hawthorne's deliberate, yet effective, use of ambiguity, is also seen in the character of Faith, the shadows and darkness of the forest, and the undetectable boundaries that separate nightmarish dreams from reality.
In Young Goodman Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the tale of a man and his discovery of evil. Hawthorne’s primary concern is with evil and how it affects Young Goodman Brown. Through the use of tone and setting, Hawthorne portrays the nature of evil and the psychological effects it can have on man. He shows how discovering the existence of evil brings Brown to view the world in a cynical way. Brown learns the nature of evil and, therefore, feels surrounded by its presence constantly.
Nathaniel Hawthorne uses different people as symbols throughout "Young Goodman Brown." The largest symbolic roles in the story are goodman Brown and his wife Faith. Both of the characters' names are symbolic and representative of their personalities. "'With Heaven above and Faith below, I will stand firm against the devil!' cried goodman Brown," is just one of many quotes that directly relates goodman Brown's personality with his name (189). Goodman Brown is truly a good man. Faith, goodman Brown's wife, also has a name that is indicative of her nature. The story directly supports this point in the phrase "Faith, as the wife was aptly named . . . " (184). Faith is persistent in trying to keep goodman Brown off the path of sin in the first part of the story: " . . . pr'y thee, put off your journey until sunrise, and sleep in your own bed to-night" (184). Hawthorne does an excellent job of turning the main characters into symbols that are prominent throughout the story.
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.
Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes symbolism throughout his short story Young Goodman Brown to impact and clarify the theme of good people sometimes doing bad things. Hawthorne uses a variety of light and dark imagery, names, and people to illustrate irony and different translations. Young Goodman Brown is a story about a man who comes to terms with the reality that people are imperfect and flawed and then dies a bitter death from the enlightenment of his journey through the woods. Images of darkness, symbolic representations of names and people and the journey through the woods all attribute to Hawthorne's theme of good people sometimes doing bad things.
It is impossible to fairly analyze Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, "Young Goodman Brown" around a single literary approach. American novelist, essayist, and poet, Herman Melville, once wrote about Hawthorn's short story that it over time, like wine, it only improves in flavor and body (The Life and Works of Herman Melville). Hawthorne's short story continues to get better with age, and carries today's readers into a world filled with a plethora of meanings for them to pick from its symbolism. Modern readers have interpreted the meaning of Goodman Brown's experience in many ways, but to pigeon hole the story into one view would destroy its veracity.
Director Steven Spielberg and auther Markus Zusak, in their intriguing production, movie Saving Private Ryan and book The Book Thief, both taking place during World War II. However , in Saving Private Ryan Spielberg focus on a lot of complications that occur during war , but guilt was one difficulty that stood out to me. Zusak, on the other hand , showas that having courage during war can be a advantage and also an disadvantage depending on the situation. Both director and author grabed the audience attention with emotional and logical appeal.
It is surprising, in a way, to discover how few of the many critics who have discussed "Young Goodman Brown'' agree on any aspect of the work except that it is an excellent short story. D. M. McKeithan says that its theme is "sin and its blighting effects." Richard H. Fogle observes, "Hawthorne the artist refuses to limit himself to a single and doctrinaire conclusion, proceeding instead by indirection,'' implying, presumably, that it is inartistic to say something which can be clearly understood by the readers. Gordon and Tate assert, "Hawthorne is dealing with his favorite theme: the unhappiness which the human heart suffers as a result of its innate depravity." Austin Warren says, ''His point is the devastating effect of moral scepticism." Almost all critics agree, however, that Young Goodman Brown lost his faith. Their conclusions are based, perhaps, upon the statement, "My Faith is gone!" made by Brown when he recognizes his wife's voice and ribbon. I should like to examine the story once more to show that Young Goodman Brown did not lose his faith at all. In fact, not only did he retain his faith, but during his horrible experience he actually discovered the full and frightening significance of his faith.
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.
In all stories, there is a struggle or downfall the hero overcomes to reach greatness. “Young Goodman Brown” is no different in this circumstance. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” Goodman has his faith tried by wandering and conversing with the devil amidst the forest, observing the devil-worshiping ceremony, and discovering that his wife, Faith, is the newest convert. “Young Goodman Brown” begins with Goodman Brown readying for a voyage into the woods. He will be away from Salem a large amount of time.
Late one night he finds himself in the middle of the woods with the Devil, on his way to a meeting of the Devil's followers. After seeing respected townsfolk at the Devil's meeting, including his minister and his wife, Faith, he loses hope in humanity and all that he had known to be true or real. Goodman Brown wakes up in his bed immediately following the Devil's meeting and wonders if what had happened was reality or simply just a dream. Despite his confusion about the events that took place, he was unable to forget what had happened and lost faith in religion and his com... ...