Nathaniel Hawthorne 's Young Goodman Brown

The story of ?Young Goodman Brown? exemplifies the struggle of one man?s internal conflict of good and evil. The main character, Goodman Brown, leaves Salem village and his wife, Faith, to travel into the depths of the dark forest. The Young Goodman Brown will be aged with the knowledge he faces in this one night. Brown keeps his appointment with the devil in the forest, and he must choose to go back to his ?faith,? or explore the evils that the devil has to offer. Next, Brown is confronted with the virtuous people who live in his community, who will be attending the witch?s meeting with the devil. He has to decide if he will follow them along this

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “Young Goodman Brown,” demonstrates how Goodman Brown leaves his wife, Faith, to do an errand within the woods with a man that is believed to be the devil. During the time period in which this took place, the 1620’s, many of the people from the village were practicing Puritanism. Puritanism is an intense practice of religion retrieved from Protestants, only removing its Catholic influence. When Goodman Brown entered the woods to meet the devil, he soon turned into a man who was corrupt within his faith. When Mr. Brown left his wife and entered into the dark woods, it displayed a form of symbolism. In continuation, symbolized a Puritan man straying away from his faith in God which is his wife in this case. Moreover, when Brown entered the woods and followed the devil, it represented his faith diminishing away with every step he took in the forest. Hawthorne demonstrates Brown becoming a skeptic of his own religion through his actions.

Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of the short story “Young Goodman Brown”, he was an American writer in the 19th century. He was born in Salem village, and he died at the age of 60. His short story about a man named Young Goodman Brown, who lived in Salem village with his wife Faith. They have been married three months. Mr. Goodman Brown has left his wife for one travel night although his wife does not want him to go. He insists on leaving without telling his wife where he is going nor why he is going at night. Then Faith says, “Then God be with you, and may you find all well, when you are back.” So Brown left; he started his journey at night through the dark forest. Mr. Goodman Brown saw many things that caused him to wonder and to fear: scary trees, witches, and a walking staff look that looked like a snake rising up. His determination to leave and experience the dark side turns Brown from a hero to a coward; he is fearful of what might happen if he does not go in to the forest, because he is not confident in his faith, and he is not trusting God anymore, and he take the devil as his guide.

Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne is an enveloping and enrapturing short story. Written in Shakespearian English, the story crafts an intricate portrait of symbolism, strong allegorical references, and powerful themes; as well as a riveting story line. The story includes a unique cast of characters - Young Goodman Brown, his wife Faith, the old man (who is most likely the devil), Goody Cloyse, the minister, and Deacon Gookin. The story takes place in Salem, Massachusetts roughly around 1693 to 1694; which was after the time of the Salem witch trials and the King Phillips War. During this particular time in history, there was a great deal of superstition and hysteria concerning witchcraft and as well as the wilderness and surrounding native communities that dwelt in them. "The traveler knows not who may be concealed by the innumerable trunks and the thick bows overhead; so that with lonely footsteps he may be yet passing through an unseen multitude." This being one of many examples of the historical and cultural aspects of that time period being integrated, reflected, and utilized in the literary work.

The theme of this fiction story is to not trust anyone. The narrator, tone, and style adds a lot to the presentation of that theme. This story was very captivating and interesting to read. This was because the use of suspense the author used and when it came about and the mystery involved. This is done through the style of the story. From the very beginning of the story Goodman Brown says goodbye to his wife because he is going on a journey through the night. This is the first thing that brings up questions about what is going on.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “Young Goodman Brown,” he explores the downfall of the spirit of Goodman Brown and destroys the innocence and predestination of the title character by taking him down the metaphorical road to Hell. The road in the story passes into the forest surrounding Salem Village, and Hawthorne expresses the Puritan conclusion of all things evil to be found in the woods with the quote, “Come witch, come wizard, come Indian powwow, come devil himself….” (Myers, p. 385) Goodman Brown’s wife, Faith implores him to not go on the journey, but he insists, and thereby sets himself up for his own downfall when he turns his back on the representation of his innocent illusions of the purity of those around him, as represented in his wife.

1) In 175 words or more, take two of the romantic characteristics we discussed in class and explain how they are demonstrated in at least two of the stories we read.

In the short story of “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the setting is a very important aspect in providing symbolism to certain events. The setting of a dramatic work or story is defined as the overall setting of a narrative detailing the general location, historical time, and social undermining in which its action occurs. The setting of a story is just as important as the characters that are involved within the story. It is a necessary aspect that has influence on every narration. Which is a subject that has not gained much attraction and attention as other parts of the story, but is certainly a very interesting topic to discuss. This essay will give an in-depth analysis of the various techniques that Hawthorne used to convey

In the short story “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, themes of innocence, morality, and human nature are explored through the experience Young Goodman Brown has with his encounter with the devil. Hawthorne delves into the subject of the perception of morality and religious thinking based on the perception of others. The symbolism enhances the exploration of human nature and the assumed innocence of people, Godly societies, and the presence of evil. In this short story, the people of the community are seen as holy and pure, but they are not what they seem to be, at least in the mind of Young Goodman Brown. His perception, whether real or imaginary, shed light on his own unawareness when it comes to the people of his community, his wife, and even himself.

Hawthorne does an awesome job conveying good and evil throughout Young Goodman Brown, by doing this, he is able to hook the reader’s attention quickly by conveying many clever literary techniques throughout story. However, what makes Hawthorne’s use of literary devices so unique is that he uses Puritan characteristics to convey the moral of the story. The moral of the story is to believe in God even when temptation is clear and present. In the story, Goodman Brown is constantly dealing between paths of good and evil. Hawthorne also uses a strong sense of Puritan morality throughout Goodman Brown’s journey, and does a great job using imagery to portray his message. Ultimately Young Goodman Brown is a great story of a man overcoming multiple adverse situations by maintaining his faith. Hawthorne uses a precise and simple style to convey his message.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s work Young Goodman Brown reveals how hard it is in the revelation of the harsh realities of the society. The society with is characterized by secrecy.  People hide behind the curtains of daily practices and a normal life despite the odd their practices. However, anxiety reveals the realities of people in the community that may come with great prices as for the Nathaniel Hawthorne’s main character Goodman Brown. Viewing the carefully the sense at the beginning of the story and towards the end of the story tells us how much is changed for Goodman Brown’s involvement and perception of the society and all these are the harsh reality.

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.”

It seems necessary to write down some lines about the author. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. Because of the involvement of his ancestor in the Salem witch trials , Nathaniel later added a "w" to make his name "Hawthorne" in order to hide this relation. He entered Bowdoin College in 1821, and graduated in 1825. Hawthorne published his first work, Fanshawe, in 1828. He published several short stories after that which he collected in 1837 as Twice-Told Tales. His masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter, was published in 1850. A political appointment took Hawthorne and family to Europe before their return to The Wayside in 1860. Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864.

The author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, was from a family that settled early in American history in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. His grandfather served as a judge at the Salem Witch Trials and condemned 25 women to their death. Coming from a strong line of Puritan ancestors, he was motivated to write the moving short story, Young Goodman Brown. Young Goodman Brown resists all temptation of converting to the devil until he realizes that the only thing holding him back was his wife, Faith, who has already converted; he then realizes that all this time he has had evil inside of him but refused to think that it was there. On this psychological journey, Goodman Brown discovers the real evil inside of him, while

The two short stories "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne and "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" by Flannery O 'Connor both have characters who allow their lives to be altered by the threat of evil. A detour taken by the family in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" wreaks havoc, while the wrong path taken by "Young Goodman Brown" leads him to despair. Although Brown, The Misfit, and the Grandmother have different attitudes and take different approaches to evil, all characters eventually go astray and end up isolated from society. Evil is prevalent in both stories as journeys are made down the wrong path. The symbolisms in both stories represent lack of faith and death. Brown is a perfect example of how discovering the existence of evil brings one to view the world in a cynical way. The loneliness and confusion Brown feels represents a life without God, allowing him to be deceived by Satan, unable to escape the presence of evil. The Grandmother perceives herself as a morally good character though her actions seem to create a downfall for the family. The Misfit is portrayed as an evil man who is a cold-blooded killer, which is brought on by his evil perceptions of people, and lack of goodness in his life. Both stories illustrate how sac religious behavior is evil. one will see how a relationship with God is good. Unfortunately, as the journeys progress, evil tragically changes lives forever. While different in many ways, both stories show how abandoning one 's Christian faith can