Morals in Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown and King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail

"Young Goodman Brown," a story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, should be interpreted on a psychoanalytical level rather than a religious one. It is my observation that "Young Goodman Brown" may very well be the first published work alluding to divisions of the mind and personality theory. Although religion is a direct theme throughout the story, "Young Goodman Brown" appears to be an allegory with deeper meanings.

A character arc is essential in any story, showing what the character has gone through and learned. Usually, this process involves the growth and gained knowledge of the character throughout the story, in a good way. However, in the case of ‘Young Goodman Brown”, the character arc is almost backwards in a sense. He does gain knowledge about the society in a bad way and this affects his perception of the town throughout the story. It is evident that in the text, Goodman Brown is mentally toyed with by the devil and the townspeople so much to the point of breaking down near the completion of the story and is not able to tell what is real anymore. This is evident by his relationship with the devil throughout the story, his motivations for following him into the dangers of the forest, and his changed perspective of the townspeople and clergymen concluding the text. The battle between Brown’s id and his ego and superego, relating to Freudian psychology, greatly affects the outcome of the text.

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (New International Version Bible, Matthew 15:8). Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story utilizes extensive symbolism to merge reality with imagination and expose the duplicity of the religious. The theme of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, “Young Goodman Brown” is hypocrisy and can be established by Goodman Brown’s journey, epiphany, and transformation throughout the story.

“Young Goodman Brown” – the Poverty in the Tale and in the Life of the Author

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 heard a scream and a pink ribbon fell down from the sky. Goodman Brown cried “My Faith is gone!” (9) Which we can take as he thought his wife was gone and the fact that he had lost his faith in God. Which is how I and most critics interpret that, however, Connolly states that “I should like to examine the story once more to show that Young Goodman Brown did not lose his faith at all. In fact, not only did he retain his faith, but during his horrible experience he actually discovered the full and frightening significance of his faith.” The story does say that his faith survives him, but I took that as pertaining to his

Different Lifestyles Create Different Personal Morals The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak demonstrates that personal morals can differ among individuals depending on the influence of varying factors. Everyone has their own individual morals, it is their set of guidelines to follow based on personal beliefs and opinions. The development of morals can differentiate through individuals based on their range of knowledge, use of social class and the culture they live in. Knowledge can affect personal morals in accordance with a comprehension of today’s reality.

     Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” captivates the reader through a glimpse of the Puritan church. The story also shows the struggle of good versus evil in the main character Goodman Brown. The role of the Puritan church is crucial in shaping Goodman Brown’s personality and helping the reader understand why he was reluctant to continue his journey.

It is contended that developmental morals does not give a clarification regarding why people have moral commitments that go past their own particular self-interests. Which can be clarified through their conviction and relationship to God.

Goodman Brown is showing both purity and corruptibility as he sways between having confidence in the intrinsic decency of the individuals around him and accepting that the demon has assumed control over the personalities of all his loved ones. At long last, he accepts that Faith is unadulterated and great, until the fiend uncovers at the service that Faith, as well, is corruptible. This instability uncovers Goodman Brown's absence of genuine religion. His conviction is anything but difficult to shake, and of the great and underhandedness sides of human instinct. Through Goodman Brown's enlivening to the malice ways of everyone around him, Hawthorne remarks on what he sees as the concealed debasement of Puritan culture. Goodman Brown has confidence in people in general callings of confidence made by his dad and the senior citizens of his congregation and in the societal structures that are based upon that confidence. Hawthorne recommends, notwithstanding, that behind general society face of piety, the Puritans' activities are not generally Christian. The demon in the story says that he is available when Brown's dad and granddad whip Quakers and set blaze to Indian towns, making it clear that the

Now that Goodman Brown lost all faith in everyone, he had to live the rest of his life in heartbreak, and

   It is the intention of this essay to demonstrate the compulsion toward gross evil in “Young Goodman Brown” that is indicated by the actions of the characters, a compulsion that includes not only the leading characters but virtually everyone in the tale.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” (repr. in Thomas R. Arp, and Greg Johnson, Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, 8th ed. [Fort Worth: Harcourt, 2002] 316) is a short story with strong Puritan influence. Puritanism is a religion demanding strict moral conduct and strong faith. Puritans held that Christians should do only what the Bible commanded. Analyzing “Young Goodman Brown” is dependant upon understanding the Puritan faith. The influence of the Puritan religion is vivid in literary elements such as setting, allegory, and theme.

Nathaniel Hawthorne was known, in his works, for providing stirring critiques of the Puritan norms that were so prominent during his time. As a writer, he was also willing to challenge the institutions that other people found sacred, and beyond that, he hoped to challenge perceptions of what it meant to live a normal life during that time. One of the primary themes of Puritanism is the concept of original sin, and Hawthorne seemed to have a preoccupation with this concept. In “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Hawthorne uses different characters and different scenes to make important statements on the nature of Puritan life. Specifically, the two works are linked from a thematic perspective. They both focus on the ways in which the Puritan concept of sin can cause a soul-crushing brand of guilt that afflicts all parts of a person’s life.

   Goodman Brown is no exception, in fact, he seems to be the rule. He is recently married to a woman ironically named Faith, whom he loves dearly. He seems happily married, and yet, there is something odd with him at the start of the story. We sense he is a troubled man, and the source of his worries seem to be his wife.