Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

Although it was difficult to stray from the obvious aspects of this story, I found that once you remove all religious theories, it is quite tragic and perhaps one that many can relate with. Nathaniel Hawthorne tells a story about a man’s transition from youth and innocence to a life marred by mankind’s corrupt nature and darkness of the world. From the very beginning, Goodman Brown has a decision, to stay with his young wife, who expresses her fear of loneliness and a bad premonitions of that night, or to leave on a journey which he is not fully confident about. My thoughts are that he was heading to war and leaving behind his wife who represented all the good and purity of the world to him. He was reluctant to leave but felt it was his duty

The story “Young Goodman Brown,” in its entirety is an allegory, a literary device used to teach a religious lesson. The reader is lead to wonder if the story’s events truly took place or if it was simply a bad dream. The story leaves readers wondering why Goodman Brown feels compelled to journey into the forest. “Young Goodman Brown” begins with Faith’s plea for Brown to not leave her on that night. He chooses to go out into the woods and ends up taking a “walk with the devil.” On his journey, Brown struggles with his decision and at times wants to turn back. His conscious tugs at him, much like the devil tempts individuals to do things that are wrong and evil. Brown seems to be concerned with what others will think if they see him in the woods. When “Goodman Brown recognized

Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote Young Goodman Brown based on morals and what Easterly in "Lachrymal Imagery in Hawthorne's 'Young Goodman Brown' " calls "spiritual maturity" (Easterly 339). In the short story, Goodman Brown, a young Puritan leaves his wife of three months to watch a witch ceremony in the forest. During this point in time, Puritans based their lives on teachings of religion and morality; therefore, witch-meetings were surely immoral, and they betrayed the commitment of God. Dwelling in the forest throughout the night, Goodman Brown experiences an event that changes his entire perspective of life. In one night, the event destroys "his relationship with his wife Faith, isolates him from his neighbors, and destroys his ability to

Are all human beings destined for evil? In the novel Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne, he explores the idea that all human beings have the potential to become evil. A man named Young Goodman Brown goes out on Halloween night, which is considered one of the most dangerous nights of the year. Brown takes a walk through a forest to meet with the devil but later realizes that he needs to change his faith and commit his life to God. Brown wakes up the next morning as a changed man with new beliefs. In the novel Hawthorne uses archetypes such as color, cycles, and garden imagery to fully develop the theme that all humans are inheritably evil.

Though Nathaniel Hawthorne is an author of many great works, his short story “Young Goodman Brown” still stays relevant because it has themes and subjects that are relatable in today 's world. In the story “Young Goodman Brown,” Goodman Brown leaves his wife Faith, to go into the woods near Salem to have a meeting with the devil. Appearance vs. reality is shown in “Young Goodman Brown” through the plot, the character of Goody Cloyse, and the symbol of the maple staff.

Hawthorn’s use of dramatic irony in Young Goodman Brown succoring suspense build up, divulging the sanctimonious comportment of Puritans.(1) For instance, when Young Goodman Brown did not recognize the old man traveler, the devil in disguise when clear demonstrations stood in front of him.(2) As the pious old women passed the traveller he touches her with his staff and she she she cried out, “The devil"(pg.5).(3) Knowing the denouement of the story, Young Goodman Brown unknowingly encounters the devil and goes farther into the "unholy" forest.(4) In addition, Young Goodman Brown ponders over the fearful possibility the devil watches him.(5) Goodman Brown half-heartedly questions, "What if the devil himself should be at my very elbow"(pg.2).(6)

“By the sympathy of your human hearts for sin ye shall scent out all the places—whether in church, bedchamber, street, field, or forest—where crime has been committed, and shall exult to behold the whole earth one stain of guilt, one mighty blood spot” (332). Near the end of the story, Goodman Brown has seen the evil in every person, and it causes isolating of his life. In the story, the narrator poses an important question: "Had Goodman Brown fallen asleep in the forest, and only dreamed a wild dream of a witch-meeting?" (Meyer 333). The choice is dream or reality. Whatever the reader chooses to believe, Goodman Brown's own horrible doubts create a central theme of the tale (Fogel 21).

The conflict between Goodman Brown and Salem, Massachusetts stems from Goodman Browns Puritan upbringing and the fact that he is young and naïve. During this time period, Salem was mostly inhabited by Puritans who are narrow minded and religious. Because Puritan’s lives revolve around religion it gives the illusion that they are all good people who would never step out of line or do anything wrong intentionally. One

     The story is set in the forest of Salem, Massachusetts, around the time of the witch trials. Goodman Brown is a Puritan, and Salem is a Puritan village

The setting in the forest represented the sins and doubt that Brown had in his life. Throughout the forest Brown is persuaded by the devil throughout the whole story. His wife warned him not to go, His wife Faith foreshadowed something bad was to come out of him going into the forest. His wife faith represented Browns faith he had in God and by being in the forest his belief slowly diminished. Which explain the reason why he no longer cared for his wife. The forest was described as a wicked place, as far as how the narrator explained it. While in the forest Brown seemed to lose his faith. He started to question his love for his wife. The forest symbolized danger and wickedness. The more time he spent in the forest the more he was losing himself

Written in 1835, the story “Young Goodman Brown,” is an interesting tale that illustrates the protagonist, Goodman Brown, losing his faith. The story starts off with Mr. Brown telling his wife, Faith, the he is going to venture off the forest for an errand. Despite the protestations from his wife, he trek out into the forest and encounter an old man. This old man starts leading Mr. Brown into a witches sabbath and along the way he sees many people from his town who he thought was pure and innocence. Due to this, Goodman Brown’s faith starts to deteriorate, but what really set him off is when he saw his wife, Faith, succumb to the devil. Although on the surface level, this story seems to be about a man losing his faith due to the evilness around

Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of “Young Goodman Brown,” was born in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1804. Hawthorne, born into a Puritan family who was struggling financially, had never met his father. He had died when Hawthorne was but a boy of four years old. This, along with embarrassments brought upon by other ancestors, seemed to affect his writing and perhaps even inspired parts of “Young Goodman Brown.” Hawthorne had one ancestor, a Puritan judge, who persecuted Quakers, and another, who had taken part in the Salem Witch Hysteria (Meyer 322). Both of these were mentioned, or hinted upon, in the story of “Young Goodman Brown.”

His use of diction to describe Goodman Brown changes from positive in the beginning of the story to negative towards the end which helps communicate the loss of innocence theme. Everyone goes through a loss of innocence or loss of naivety at some point in their lives because they will eventually realize the world is not all good and bad things can happen to anyone. Loss of innocence is not a horrible thing it can either make someone more wiser or destroy someone like Goodman

   This essay will examine the main physical settings within Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “Young Goodman Brown.” These are four in number and begin and end in the village of Salem.

“Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a story about a normal man that ventures into the forest to meet an old man who attempts to tempt him into going deeper into the woods to worship the devil. After the old man convinces him that everyone that he loves and respects is going to the devil’s ceremony he gives in. In “Young Goodman Brown”, Hawthorne effectively uses symbolism to portray the theme that putting one 's faith in others leads to weakness and the role his psychological developed plays in his morality.