Good Vs. Evil In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

Further into Goodman’s journey, he meets an older gentleman, representative of the devil, and Goodman Brown again reveals the ease in which he betrays his faith. When the devil asks why Goodman Brown is fifteen minutes late, he simply states that “Faith kept me back awhile” (343). Although Brown’s wife did keep him back a short while, there is an alternative meaning to this statement. Hawthorne uses this phrase to symbolize that his spiritual faith kept him from making this trip sooner. With this symbolism we see again that perhaps Goodman Brown has had his spiritual doubts for some time, but now he feels ready to question his faith and the faith of those who surround him on this journey.

    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

In "Young Goodman Brown." Nathaniel Hawthorne considers the question of good and evil, suggesting that true evil is judging and condemning others for sin without looking at one's own sinfulness. He examines the idea that sin is part of being human and there is no escape from it.

    "'Lo! There ye stand, my children,' said the figure, in a deep and solemn tone, almost sad, with its despairing awfulness, as if his once angelis nature could yet mourn for our miserable race. "Depending on one another's hearts, ye had still hoped, that virtue were not all a dream. Now ye are undeceived! Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness. Welcome, again, my children, to the communion of your race!'"

Goodman Brown represents every man, who has struck a universal bargain with Satan. Initially he is young, naïve, and immature and fails to understand the gravity of the step he has taken

Nathaniel Hawthorne comes from a bloodline that is associated with the Salem witch trials in 1692. His great-great-grandfather was a puritan that took part in the executions during the witch trilas, explaining Hawthorne’s fondness with the religion. Nathaniel Hawthorne is known for his interest in the News England Puritan past. Most of Hawthorne’s writings implement the Puritan ways and faith in which most of the characters act upon or main faith is revolved around. “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Scarlet Letter” are both one of Hawthorne’s many pieces that are prime examples of the Puritan religion affecting his writing. Through the story Hawthorne uses many allegories representing Christian, but also puritan faith and many symbols relating to them also.

Although many modern religions preach messages of morality, it is common for individuals and their own personal biases to skew the image of these groups. Puritanism was one such religion; despite its positive intentions, its followers were often misguided in their beliefs and actions. In Young Goodman Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorn expresses his disapproval of the Puritan religion and comments on its many faults, including the hypocrisy of its followers, their self-righteousness, and their obsession with polarizing good versus evil.

In “Young Goodman Brown,” there is a fight between good and evil with one main character being torn between the two sides and every other character seemingly on one side or the other through the reader’s view, although many characters do deceive Goodman Brown about whether they are good or evil. This fight between the two sides and the deception that causes confusion for Goodman Brown is the source of tension throughout the entire story. In “Young Goodman Brown,” every character’s traits and dialogue, the setting, and even colors mentioned have double meanings and are symbolic to the main binary oppositions of either good or evil.

He takes one final stand and says he will not go any further. “What if a wretched old woman do choose to go to the devil when I thought she was going to heaven: is that any reason why I should quit my dear Faith and go after her?” (Hawthorne 7) The devil told him to rest and to take his staff to help him along. He threw Goodman Brown his staff and disappeared. Goodman Brown feels good about him resisting going any further on the errand, but it has clearly taken a toll on him to see this wickedness in the lady who taught him his beliefs. While he is sitting there he hears the voice of the minister saying that he would not miss this meeting tonight and “Moreover, there is a goodly young woman to be taken into communion.” (Hawthorne 8) This really made Goodman Brown question his faith in God. “He looked up to the sky, doubting whether there really was a heaven above him.” (8) He tries to convince himself to stay strong. “With heaven above and Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil!” (8) As he looked up to the sky a cloud covered the stars through the opening of the trees. This represents his faith being shrouded and overwhelmed by the darkness in the

Hawthorne's ambiguous ending in "Young Goodman Brown" leaves the reader asking one question. "Had Goodman Brown fallen asleep in the forest and only dreamed a wild dream of a witch hunting?" Most readers of this allegory try to answer this question, believing that Goodman Brown did in fact take the "dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest." Hawthorne himself has avoided answering the question, and has instead left it up for the reader to decide Goodman Brown's fate. The reader can never be certain about what actually happened in the forest; the reader can, however, be certain, not only of the nature and stages of Goodman Brown's despair, but also of its probable cause. This can be seen through Faith, Brown's

“Young Goodman Brown”, like most Nathaniel Hawthorne stories, is littered with themes from beginning to end. These themes aim to show the troubles of our society and in human nature. The particular tale of “Young Goodman Brown” had multiple themes such as the inevitable loss of innocence, symbolism, and weakness in public morality. The inevitable loss of innocence is constant throughout the story.

He loses all faith in the community, as he says, "my faith is gone! There is no good on earth" (Young Goodman). He feels he is above them because he was able to resist the devil. He says, "Look up to Heaven, and resist the Wicked One!" (Young Goodman). Goodman Brown's pride is his tragic flaw, since he has too much therefore it causes his downfall.

“Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts the innocent mindset of the main character. Living in a mainly Christian town, Goodman Brown believes in the innocence of all of the town members, but is exposed to the truth when venturing into an unknown territory of the devil. Although this extravaganza very much seems like an unknown and mysterious happening, later it is explicitly revealed the sins of the gathered members. This peculiar occurrence strikes a resemblance to a hallucination, although the events that occurred seem genuine. Especially as the town returns to normal the next morning, this event becomes a greater mystery than before.

Rhozel Muyco English 113.3 Jesse Stothers October 2, 2014 An Analysis of Evil in Hawthorne’s Classic Tale Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” is filled with examples of Puritanism, which influence the theme, setting, and allegory of the story. Puritanism stresses the importance of morality and sovereignty of God. As Christians, Puritans believed that they should do what the Bible demanded.

“Young Goodman Brown”, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, consist of beliefs that all humanity exists in a state of wickedness, except for the people who are born in a state of grace. The view of the story shows how swiftly Young Goodman Brown goes swiftly down the wrong path, when his faith is lost or is blinded by something, even without his knowledge. Faith is the key to his happiness and without it, he is unable to live his life to the fullest. Faith in a symbolic idea refers to the most pure hearted. Goodman Brown is a holy and a faithful man, until one day everything changes in his life.