preview

Individuation In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

Decent Essays
Open Document

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”, the readers are given an open window into the depraved mind at work. This particular short story is an inward psychological journey where Goodman Brown fails at integrating components of his psyche. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” shows humanity’s tendency to fail at individuation. The author conveys this through Brown’s repression of his shadow, projection of his own shadow upon others, and rejection of his anima. The psychology of one’s failure at individuation is clearly illustrated in this story. According to Carl Jung, individuation is the process of transforming one’s psyche by unifying the personal and collective unconscious into consciousness as one. In other words, it is …show more content…

He projects his own guilt onto others own unacceptable qualities or feelings and ascribing them to other people. Young Goodman Brown demonstrates this in that he attributes his shadow onto the whole villagers without taking into account his own dark side. Tritt conveys two significant aspects of projection: “Brown locates his own evil in others. Second, and of greater significance to my argument, Brown believes himself to be without guilt . . .” (Tritt 116). After returning from the woods, Young Goodman Brown only sees evil in others and does not recognize his own evil intentions from that night, projecting the guilt hidden in his unconscious on others. For example, the next day after Brown’s dream, he sees everybody but himself in a completely different light, “The next morning, young Goodman Brown came slowly into the street of Salem village, staring around him like a bewildered wild man” (413). Young Goodman Brown is not the same person he used to be. He cannot look past the evil he sees in everybody. He attributes his shadow to the minister “When the minister spoke from the pulpit with power and fervid eloquence . . . then did Goodman Brown turn pale, dreading lest the roof should thunder down upon the gray blasphemer and his hearers” (413). Another example is evident here, “Deacon Gookin was at domestic worship, and the holy words of his prayer were heard through the open window. ‘What …show more content…

The Anima is the female soul image of a man. It is the feminine aspects of a male psyche such as gentleness, tenderness, patience, receptiveness, trustworthiness, closeness to nature, readiness to forgive, etc. Likewise, the Animus is the masculine soul image of the woman. Faith represents the anima because she is associated with such aspects and the force of life itself. Young Goodman Brown leaves his wife Faith, and tells her, “‘My love and my Faith’ . . . ‘of all nights in the year, this one night must I tarry away from thee’” (Hawthorne 405). This indicates that he is losing touch with his feminine/ emotional side of his psyche What's interesting to note is the fact that Young Goodman Brown seems to view Faith not actually as his wife but as an idealized mother. For example, he thinks, “‘Well, she’s a blessed angel on earth, and after this one night I’ll cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven’” (405). He seems to depart on his journey thinking that Faith as a mother will keep him safe. This is significant because it shows that his anima is not fully developed. The fact that he views his anima, Faith, as a mother further supports his lack of psychological immaturity. Her participation in the black mass in the forest signifies his loss of his anima. Young Goodman Brown cries out, “‘My Faith is gone!’” (410), signifying his loss of his anima.

Get Access
Related
Get Access