Compare And Contrast Young Goodman Brown And Montagresor

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Young Goodman Brown and Montresor are the main characters in the short stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe. Goodman Brown realizes the hidden evil inside people, whom he believed and trusted in his society. Remarkably, he has not lost his hope and faith; he still believes in goodness within himself. On the other hand, the oversensitive Montresor, who plots and executes the murder of his friend, appears proud and does not regret his deeds even after fifty years. Although both of them have faced evil incidents, Young Goodman Brown makes better choice by staying strong and consequently, becomes successful in eluding the evil group without losing hope and goodness within; while Montresor, who feels proud of his evil acts, shows no sign for redemption as he has no …show more content…

Evidently, ‘Faith,’ in this story, stands for a person as well as a symbol of ethicality, and holiness. Thus, Goodman Brown has started believing in truth, hope, and good will. Later, he goes in the dark evil forest to meet the Devil, who tries to sway him away from his faith. Remarkably, Goodman Brown has been denying the devil’s persuasion, as we see him mentioning: “Faith kept me back awhile.” (Hawthorne, p. 185) This means that the devil has wanted Goodman Brown to join the evil group much earlier, but he was unable. In fact, right after he confronts the devil, he wants to return back to his wife, Faith. Likewise, while walking, Goodman Brown often lags behind to resist the evil temptation. To further counter the devil, he mentions that he would rather go back as he does not want to ruin his family name by being the first one to go in the evil forest. Even though the devil persuades him by presenting him with the historical background of his father and grandfather, he, additionally, presents his religion as the foundation of his faith and goodwill. Similarly, Goodman Brown does not find

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