Different Colors Of Darkness By Nathaniel Hawthorne And Edgar Allen Poe

The 19th century American poet, Edgar Allan Poe, had been plagued by grief from an early age. He was an amazing poet and author who just happened to have a darker story. Many who have studied this prestigious man feel that his works, though magnificent, were extremely dark. Some believe it was nothing more then a fancy for him to spin such gruesome tales. Others feel his work was manipulated by the misfortune of his past. These people have actually found evidence that agrees with this statement. The works of Edgar Allan Poe were inspired by the history and life style of the author. The evidence is evident, when people look back and examine the author, his life, and his writings closely.

In “Young Goodman Brown,” Hawthorne’s uses imagery to gets the reader attention. In the parable of “Young Goodman Brown,” the reader is set into a twist of good versus evil. Hawthorne depict evil in terms that describe the forest and the old man with the staff. The reader believe Goodman Brown is walking into evil when the woods was mention. Puritans believe woods to be the territory of the devil. In “young Goodman Brown” the forest is a symbol of the devil's home. “He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through, and closed immediately behind. It was all as lonely as could be; and there is this peculiarity in such a solitude, that the traveler knows not who may be

In “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author entertains the readers by using suspense and mystery. Hawthorne uses the devil and a witch as the main antagonists to test Young Goodman Brow’s faith, he uses symbolism to foreshadow. The author’s main goal as a puritan was to show that faith man’s most important quality, when is at risk it makes it seem as if everyone was bad, and see the rest of the world without faith.In “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author entertains the readers by using suspense and mystery. Hawthorne uses the devil and a witch as the main antagonists to test Young Goodman Brow’s faith, he uses symbolism to foreshadow. The author’s main goal as a puritan was to show that faith man’s most important quality, when is at risk it makes it seem as if everyone was bad, and see the rest of the world without faith.

While reading “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, I couldn’t help but feel a constant overwhelming sense of dread. The root of this could have come from the story’s dark setting deep within an “haunted forest” or from Brown’s mysterious “Devil”-esque companion. While I read, another story came into my mind; the story of the “Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe. In Poe’s tale the same heart pounding emotion can be felt as he describes the reunion of two friends within “the House of Usher.” With the manors “eye-like windows” and “sorrowful impression,” Poe wastes no time in setting the Gothic mood. Through their distinct writing styles Hawthorne and Poe establish a common Gothic theme within their stories.

Edgar Allan Poe is the most morbid of all American authors. Poe made his impact in Gothic fiction, especially for the tales of the macabre of which he is so renowned for. “How can so strange & so fine a genius & so sad a life, be exprest [sic] & comprest in on line — would it not be best to say of Poe in a reverential spirit simply Requiescat in Pace [?]” — (Alfred Lord Tennyson’s reply to the Poe Memorial committee, February 18, 1876). Poe’s own life story sheds light on the darkness of his writings.

In “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Minister’s Black Veil” Nathaniel Hawthorne writes about a recurring theme of sin. Although sin is present in both of these works, the way that the characters come to deal with this innate sin of humans is very divergent. In both works sin is somehow concealed from others and keeps them from reaching a point of goodness. “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Minister’s Black Veil” can be considered counterparts and both depict the theme of sin and evil.

In “Young Goodman Brown”, Hawthorne demonstrates common inter turmoil, especially in regard to spiritual state. In an attempt to discover himself and satisfy his innermost being, Young Goodman Brown becomes a shattered, shell of a man. The question at hand is not religion, nor is it purely spiritual, Hawthorne simply encourages his reader to search themselves with the understanding and realization that once searched, the readers may not like what they find. Hawthorne himself seems to struggle with this reality as he straddled his Puritan upbringing and transcendentalist revelations, as expressed through Young Goodman Brown’s realization of the hypocrisy of the Puritan with whom he resides. Hawthorne shows the potential horror of man to his readers as hidden evil inside of man. As Hawthorne develops his story, the reader is challenged by the nature of man, and what the reader wants the nature of man to be, which Hawthorne understands to be sinful.

This essay will discuss the themes in Poe’s writing that mirror his personal life and, in addition, the fear and supernatural motivators for his characters. First, I will discuss Poe’s background and explore how he became best known as a poet for his tales of mystery and macabre.

Young Goodman Brown, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is an eerie story filled with ambiguity. The storyline can be seen as linear. Young Goodman Brown, the protagonist, leaves his village to go on a journey into the woods then experiences this and that until he reaches the gathering of evil worshippers. While it sounds straightforward, Hawthorne uses a lot of rhetorical devices to make his story frightening and leaving the reader to ponder the goodness of humans. He uses techniques such as allegories, symbolism, and foreshadowing. Besides his writing style, however, religion plays an important role in the story. The use of religion starts the story and sets the theme of good versus evil. Puritanism greatly influences Hawthorne’s tale. It can be inferred that Young Goodman Brown is a story where Hawthorne criticizes and indicts the Puritan society by adding Puritan values and beliefs to it.

Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne both have countless numbers of writing out but today ill be analyzing and comparing two that have been known to read into the dark side a little. Edgar Allan Poe’s “Masque of the Red Death” and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Birth Mark”, both showing signs of love, yet also showing signs of great death and despair. As each author progresses in their story both have a different way of bringing up death, but in some sort it is similar. With both writing having characters who adore and admire another character, they have similarities and differences in the way that they portray love and death; with different ways the authors have the characters talk, act, show emotion, and try to escape

Sadness, guilt, and fear are some of the most negative emotions that humanity can experience, however they are also the strongest. Edgar Allan Poe, a nineteenth century author and poet, is known primarily for his use of these emotions, as well as the results that may come from these emotions, such as substance abuse, depression, and death. However, the ability to write such elegant, sophisticated works that delve into the very dark recesses of the human mind reflects greatly upon the author himself. Repetitive themes found both in Poe’s stories and in his life deliver insight on the inspiration for this author’s stories. Poe uses themes of death, illness, and depression in order to reflect his own experiences within his writing.

Edgar Allan Poe is a well known writer who manages to capture the attention of the readers by portraying his stories with a dark element. Some of his famous works are The Raven, The Tell-Tale Heart, and The Fall of the House of Usher. Each is able to depict Poe’s fixation on death and how it consumes his mind. As we compare Poe’s dark works to Colonial writers, we can see how they differentiate from each other. Such early Colonial writers would include Anne Bradstreet, William Bradford, and Jonathan Edwards. They each composed a different yet unique context, compared to Poe’s. His stories would give off a strong unpleasant feeling towards the readers as he creates unreliable narrators.

Edgar Allan Poe once said, “With me, poetry has not been a purpose, but a passion.” When stressed, literature was his coping mechanism, and through observation, many grasp how much death encompassed Poe. Although not appreciated during his era, he revolutionized mystery with mesmerizing story plots that yield suspense but also make readers question his stability. Most importantly, unlike those famous during his lifetime, Poe’s legacy will live on. Moreover, throughout life, Poe experienced catastrophes, and because of this, writing became his creative outlet.

Nathaniel Hawthorne, was an author in the 19th century. He grew up in Massachusetts, in the town of Salem. Hawthorne’s ancestral family was very influential, wealthy and viewed as upstanding puritans. In fact, his great-great-grandfather held a pivotal role of a judge, during the 16th century, Salem witch trials. Hawthorne strongly believed “that the wrongdoing of one generation lives into the successive ones” (Quotery). That being said, he convinced himself to be the successor of his family’s puritanical behavior. While reading Hawthorne’s literary work “Young Goodman Brown”, I can infer the story’s underlying motivation is driven by the author’s guilt, for having puritan ancestors. In addition, we must apply Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic criticism to analyze Hawthorne’s literature.

nathaniel Hawthorne’s tale, “Young Goodman Brown”, is not just a suspenseful story, it is also a very symbolic story that references the good and evil in the world. But it focuses mostly on the devil, his tempting ways and the way Goodman keeps his faith through it all. The emphasis on faith is Hawthorns way of showing the strength it holds on people and that if it is challenge it could have dramatic consequences. The people are so set on following their faith the associate with appearance and if it is not right you will be tested.