“Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne can be interpreted in one of two ways. Some people believe it was all just one big bad dream, others believe it actually happened. Either way you interpret it can be right, there isn’t a right or wrong answer, you just have to support your answers. I believe that it was all a dream, and Young Goodman Brown woke up with a completely corrupt mind that cost him his life. This is because Goodman Brown’s good friends never even acknowledged him, his wife who wanted him to stay home was out there, and everything was normal when he woke up.
Young Goodman Brown was only dreaming the whole time. I honestly believe that the whole entire story was a dream all up until the part where he woke up and went into the town. Although, when he woke up, his life was already ruined and his mind was already 100% corrupt. Young Goodman Brown thought that everyone was devil worshippers because he saw them out at the devil meeting in the
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This is part of the reason why I think it was just a dream. You would think if people he knew, and was good friends with were in the forest with him, they would at least acknowledge him. In the story, it says that Goodman saw Goody Cloyse and he was so surprised about her being out there. That is when everybody else started showing up and he thought it was more than a dream.
The part that leads me to believe that is was a dream even more, is that his wife was so upset that he was leaving the house to go out into the forest. She basically begged him to stay but he was too stubborn and decided to go after thinking about it long and hard. His wife, Faith, was wearing a little pink ribbon in her hair right before he left for the woods. After he saw Goody Cloyse, and then seeing the other towns members, Goodman Brown spots a little pink ribbon laying on the ground, the same one that Faith was wearing before he
He goes anyway. This trip will lead to the guilt that Goodman Brown will feel for the rest of his life. Goodman Brown goes into the forest to meet a man which we later find out is the devil. He was late because his wife had kept him in town. "You are late Goodman Brown." (p.383) He replies "Faith kept me back" (p.383), which is ironic because his wife Faith really kept him back that day, but his religious faith also kept him from confronting the devil previously. Goodman Brown follows the man or devil through the forest which leads to an open field. This is presumed to resemble The Garden of Eden. He sees the whole town there including his wife worshiping the devil. On his return to the town, Goodman Brown cannot look at anyone. The life that he knew before this journey was over and would never be the same. He didn't go to church or talk to barely anyone because of his guilt for going to worship the devil. When he died, "there was no hopeful verse upon his tombstone for his dying hour was gloom" (p. 391) This is like the "The Minister's Black Veil" showing that someone must live and breathe everyday knowing of the sin that they have committed.
However, Goodman Brown doesn’t know the night events are going to happen, and furthermore he doesn’t care. If these events are a dream, then they originate from Brown’s head-a transparent sign of his ingrained dark side. If they were true, then Goodman Brown has discovered that everyone is corrupt. However, Brown’s innocence was unavoidable whether of the night were real or fiction.
Due to his naivety, Goodman Brown continues on his journey with the stranger, to spite what Faith and his instincts tell him, which ultimately turns him into a corrupted man. When the reader first meets Goodman Brown he is departing from his young wife, Faith. Faith urges young Goodman Brown to stay with her and not go on his journey but he refuses, assuring her that his journey is one of no real danger: "'A lone woman is troubled with such dreams and such thoughts, that she's afeared of herself, sometimes.' […] 'My journey, as thou callest it, forth and back again, must needs be done 'twixt now and sunrise'" (620). Faith tells Goodman Brown about nightmares she has been having and how she wishes that he will stay beside her. Goodman Brown ignores her warnings and continues on his journey as if it is just a trip to the grocery store. After meeting the stranger, Goodman Brown inquires about turning back but the stranger has other ideas in mind: "' Let us walk on, nevertheless, reasoning as we go, and if I convince thee not thou shalt turn back, We are but a little way in the forest yet.' 'Too far, too far!’ exclaimed the Goodman, unconsciously resuming his walk" (621). The stranger wants Goodman Brown to continue on his path, and even though young Goodman Brown desires to turn back towards Faith, he is easily swayed to keep walking with the stranger. Hawthorn says he "unconsciously" resumes his walk,
Then comes the second impending question of whether or not the story even happened; whether or not the tale was a dream, or an actual occurrence in the life of Goodman Brown. Entering the text, there is no conclusive evidence of a dream state. It states, "Young Goodman Brown came forth at sunset, into the street at Salem village. (375)" Simply speaking, Goodman Brown sets forth upon a journey complete with a clearly stated beginning and an end. However, the middle is left for one to question. Once in the forest, the story begins to offer characteristics that would not relate to a truthful tale in the conscious state by Goodman Brown. This mostly due to Goodman Brown encountering
The story reveals that there is some degree of evil in everyone because humans are born with the freewill to do right or wrong. As humans, we are born into an imperfect world and we have many flaws. We can choose to be good honest people or evil doers. The older man in Young Goodman Brown said that Goodman Brown had more evil power then he did. This older man could represent an evil spirit or even the devil himself. This line in the story could
“Poor little Faith!” thought he, for his heart smote him. “What a wretch am I, to leave her on such an errand! She talks of dreams, too. Methought, as she spoke, there was trouble in her face, as if a dream had warned her what work is to be done to-night. But, no, no! 't would kill her to think it. Well; she 's a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night, I 'll cling to her skirts and follow her to Heaven.” (7) He is now unlawful, whether or not he actually meets the devil or simply dreams their meeting. Whether the meeting happens, matters less than how Goodman Brown feels about giving in to his dark side. Quoted, "On he flew, among the black pines, brandishing his staff with frenzied gestures, now giving vent to an inspiration of horrid blasphemy, and now shouting forth such laughter, as set all the echoes of the forest laughing like demons around him. (53) In "The Young Goodman Brown" it does a great job describing the struggles Goodman is facing. Although, the ending wasn’t implied. I believe, he is teaching us a moral lesson. Teaching us people are not what they seem. Looks can be deceiving and their can also be good or evil in things/people.
Goodman prides himself by telling the devil that he and his family have been " a race of honest men and good Christian," but the devil exploits something that shocks Goodman. The devil tells Goodman that his family and whole community went through the forest with the devil as they tortured women in Salem or burned the villages of Indians to the ground, and afterwards the devil and his ancestors would go for a "pleasant walk." Goodman's journey continues undisturbed until he meets his old catechism teacher, Goody Cloyse, who has changed dramatically. Goody Cloyse already has acquitance with the devil, and she asks the devil for help so she can get to the meeting. The devil drops the staff before her which made Goodman Brown astonished. Although this view deters confidence, he continues down the trail looking for hope in the heavens passing another test to fail him. When Goodman worries about his catechism teacher, the devil offers
Verisimilitude in “Young Goodman Brown” In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman Brown”, the main character was left wondering whether the occurrences were a dream, or in fact reality. However. it is the author’s intriguing story telling technique that creates such an atmosphere that even the readers are left asking whether or not it was a dream. Hawthorne’s writing style and use of literary elements such as plot, characterization and theme, portrays a compelling, verisimilar story that many readers at some point in their lives can relate to.
In the story he is corrupted by the devil, but it is never determined on whether it was a reality or a dream. Goodman Brown lets the devil corrupt him during his journey in the story. “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.” This is the moment when Goodman Brown did not stop seeing the evil in every one in the village. His wife, Faith really tries to persuade Goodman Brown to make his journey in the forest during daylight by stating to him the quote “prithee put off your journey until sunrise and sleep in your own bed to-night” is the statement that Faith gives her husband about making the journey at night and Goodman Brown replies with “My journey, as thou callest it, forth and back again, must needs to be done ‘twixt now and sunrise.”
Darkness, confusion, and terror are some words that come to mind when thinking of the setting in this writing piece. The story has a way of getting the theme across that seems very extreme, partly with its vast use of symbolism. The tale comes down to a single central theme. The story “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne shows that anyone is susceptible to a change in beliefs, and everyone's lives can be affected from the act of being caught off guard.
Just when I thought he was turned to the evil side, Goodman sees his wife’s hair-ties. This is where he starts to turn back to the good side of life. On page 277, Goodman says, “Come witch, come wizard, come Indian powwow, come devil himself! and here comes Goodman Brown. You may as well fear him as he fear you!” This is where Goodman turns back to the good side, when he finds out the devil is consuming his Faith. When Goodman and Faith are on the evil altar, Goodman says, ”Faith! Faith! Look up to Heaven, and resist the Wicked One!” Obviously Faith was evil-hearted because she was at this gathering with the devil. She went there to be inducted into the group and Goodman tried to stop her. This wasn’t a dream he was having because on page 280 it says, “while a hanging twig, that had been all on fire.” There was a twig on fire and it brushed against his cheek.
Young Goodman Brown's inability to acknowledge, and even embrace Faith's humanity, leads to the climatic loss of his "faith" in the forest. He beholds the pink ribbon that has
Goodman Brown then says that these people’s ways have no attachment to him and therefore he is not capable of their sinful doings. This urges his companion into uncontrollable laughter, for he knows that Goodman Brown is as much a sinner as the rest of them although he has yet to realize this. Meeting Goody Cloyse in the forest shows that Goodman Brown has been evil all of his life, for she is a witch, and he says that the old lady taught him his catechism.
Young Goodman Brown goes to the forest to meet with the devil. On his way to the forest he is unsure of what he will be encountering; questioning whether there were devilish Indians behind the trees or if the devil itself was upon him. Before going to the woods, Goodman Brown thought meeting with a devil figure was a sin. He meets a man with a staff and tells him that he feels ashamed to be associating with him because he was raised in a Christian household. The news that the man knew Goodman Brown’s father and grandfather surprises and confuses him. It is only when he is met by Goody Cloyse, a respected woman in his community, that he realizes something is wrong. At that moment he learns that not only was the man he was travelling with was
This madness that Young Goodman Brown experiences escalates further more the psychological struggle he is having. What he learns in this forest changes him so much that he cannot look at anything without judging it in the manner of his experience. As Walter Shear puts it, "he underestimates the power of time, failing to see the degree to which he has made himself a particular kind of individual, (and) ultimately the prisoner of his own psychological prisoner" (Shear, 545). Young Goodman Brown came into the journey somewhat aware of what he would see in terms of the presence of evil but did not believe that one night of this evil could change his life forever. Due to the strict Puritan society he was used to, Young Goodman Brown underestimated the power that this journey would hold and therefore he becomes a