The Brown 's A Forest, And The Devil !

Hawthorne in essence, portrayed Goodman as proof of the nature of evil in man by showing how easily even a young dedicated Puritan can easily be influenced by a complete stranger. This stranger was symbolically the Devil among men in this text. Hawthorne begins introducing the Devil immediately as trying to sway Goodman to follow him on a long journey. By leaving his wife, Faith to begin the journey, Goodman Brown was symbolically leaving his faith in God and entering a forsaken ground by following the Devil. The fact that Goodman Brown left with no regard for his wife Faith’s warning, symbolized the lack of regard for his own faith in God and his fellow human race. This simple disregard that Goodman Brown showed was evidence of the easily persuaded ability of man to choose sin over good.

Young Goodman Brown is a short story where the main purpose is to show the social issue of religion during the Puritan time. Although the author Nathaniel Hawthorne had not being living in that time, he came from a long line of Puritans. He wrote Young Goodman Brown to show the flaws of the Puritans’ view of religion. They made God seem heartless and mean spirited, someone who just used humans for entertainment. The short story Young Goodman Brown demonstrates that people should test their faith of their religious beliefs and even people considered upright can fall short of their own religious faiths from temptations and imperfections. In addition, the story shows that there is some degree of evil nature in everyone because of the freewill

    In "Young Goodman Brown," Nathaniel Hawthorne, through the use of deceptive imagery, creates a sense of uncertainty that illuminates the theme of man's inability to operate within a framework of moral absolutism.  Within every man there is an innate difference between good and evil and Hawthorne's deliberate use of ambiguity mirrors this complexity of human nature. Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown, is misled by believing in the perfectibility of humanity and in the existence of moral absolutes. According to Nancy Bunge, Hawthorne naturally centers his story upon a Puritan protagonist to convey the "self-righteous" that he regards as the "antithesis of wisdom"(4). Consequently, Young

When it comes to the topic of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown, most of us will readily agree that duplicity is a major theme in the piece, or the idea of different versions of reality. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of whether Hawthorne is implying that man is inherently evil. Whereas some are convinced that Young Goodman Brown was good until tainted by the Devil, others maintain that he was evil from the beginning and was completely aware of the evil he was indulging in. My personal view, however, is that Young Goodman Brown was inherently evil, but it did not come to light until the Devil began to influence Brown. This can be seen through the use of symbolism, biblical allusions, and the development of the main characters. While the Devil may have revealed that Young Goodman Brown was not as innocent and pious as he appeared, Brown was willingly indulging in sin and was inherently evil.

In the story of Young Goodman Brown, as a reader we see many circumstances where Hawthorne uses irony in straightforward situations. I have learned from reading several of the author’s works that it is up to the reader to decide the meaning behind his stories. In this paper, I will be discussing the significance of the title, Young Goodman Brown and how I believe there is more to the story than what Hawthorne writes. Young Goodman Browns journey within the forest revealed truths not only within him, but within human nature and society. On page, 1103 Goodman Brown states “there may be a devilish Indian behind every tree.”

In "Young Goodman Brown,” Hawthorne makes the reader believe that Goodman Brown has learned the truth about the world and how evil it really is. In the story, the accounts of Goodman Brown let you believe that he has truly seen the evil in the world and knows what lurks behind everybody masks. He is displayed losing his faith in God. Although Goodman Brown thought his family, town, and wife were good people, he fell for the devil's evil tricks in believing that his family was not as it seemed and gave into sin. The character Young Goodman Brown written by Nathaniel Hawthorne finds many issues of evil concerning the town's people in which he lives, about himself, and the reality behind the evil. Throughout “Young Goodman Brown,” the main character

In “Young Goodman Brown” Hawthorne reveals that the wickedness of the world and humanity can take a toll on our faith in God. The story shows obvious symbolism throughout. It shows that not everyone is who they show themselves to be to the world. The world and devil will constantly challenge our faith in God. Human nature is worldly and it’s so easy to be deceived by the devil. Once you start down the path of sin it can be hard to turn around.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown," Hawthorne introduces Goodman Brown, who doubts himself and reiterates his false confidence to himself repeatedly. His struggle between the evil temptations, the devil, and the proper church abiding life, is a struggle he does not think he can handle. This story is about a man who challenges his faith in himself and in the community in which he resides. Goodman Brown must venture on a journey into the local forest, refuse the temptations of the devil, and return to the village before the sunrise.

     In Young Goodman Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the tale of a man and his discovery of evil. Hawthorne’s primary concern is with evil and how it affects Young Goodman Brown. Through the use of tone and setting, Hawthorne portrays the nature of evil and the psychological effects it can have on man. He shows how discovering the existence of evil brings Brown to view the world in a cynical way. Brown learns the nature of evil and, therefore, feels surrounded by its presence constantly.

In contrast to the embellished and bedecked imagery of the letter A, Hawthorne uses gloomy and dreary diction to describe the forest Goodman Brown travels. While Hester bears the letter A unwillingly, Goodman Brown voluntarily enters the “deep dusk in the forest” to conferee with the devil (Hawthorne, “Young Goodman Brown” 1114). Goodman Brown lives his life as a devout religious man, however the temptation from the devil and the forest prove too strong for him to overcome. Neglecting his values at the start of the story alludes that Goodman Brown will sustain a permanent shift in his beliefs and ideals, either maturing or diminishing them. As Goodman Brown walks deeper and deeper into the forest, Hawthorne describes how the road “grew wilder and drearier, and more faintly traced, and vanished at length, leaving [Goodman Brown] in the heart of the dark wilderness” (1118). The pessimistic depiction of the forest suggests he feels unwelcomed there, alluding to his feelings towards Puritan society. Furthermore, Hawthorne portrays the forest with “frightful sounds,” “creaking […] tress,” and “howling […] wild beasts” to imitate the devil’s abode, hell (1118). While the exquisite design of the letter A foreshadows a positive impact on Hester’s life, the eerie appearance of the forest portends a pessimistic outcome for Goodman Brown.

“Young Goodman Brown”, like most Nathaniel Hawthorne stories, is littered with themes from beginning to end. These themes aim to show the troubles of our society and in human nature. The particular tale of “Young Goodman Brown” had multiple themes such as the inevitable loss of innocence, symbolism, and weakness in public morality. The inevitable loss of innocence is constant throughout the story.

In Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown, the conflict of man versus himself is mirrored throughout the story as the protagonist Goodman Brown struggle internally with the concept of morality. During 1690’s, a group of zealots known as ‘Puritans,’ persecuted, convicted and passed judgement of over a dozen trials of females in Salem Massacheutts that were accused of practicing witchcraft. Among these zealots, Hawthorne’s descendants were judges that were brutal in their final judgement. Similarly, Brown battles his personal demons and reality waivers in what seems to be a dream or revelation of human nature, he is left to generalize that human beings are innately flawed which is portrayed through hypocrisy of Puritanism (religion).

Throughout the short story “Young Goodman Brown”, Nathaniel Hawthorne grabs the reader’s attention by writing about a man’s journey within many elements shaping his life. In every aspect of the short story, Nathaniel Hawthorne sheds light on the tragic truth of how appearances may actually be deceiving. For instance, he establishes his eye-opening theme through the use of literary devices such as characterization, motif, and irony all through the story. Notably, Hawthorne includes Faith as a character who possesses traits that are necessary for the faith Goodman Brown must carry on his journey.

Now are ye undeceived. Evil is the nature of mankind” (Hawthorne 12). Through his mistake of encountering the devil, Goodman Brown was exposed to an unnecessary truth, which in turn led to him questioning everyone’s motivations and integrity. Had he decided to run back to his wife, he could have been able to his integrity by turning a blind eye to a horrid truth. In “Young Goodman Brown,” the devil was an example of what Stephen Carter referred to as ‘fake honesty’ in his work, “The Insufficiency of Honesty.” One could argue that the devil was quite truthful. However, this honesty had a lack of integrity which was what made it immoral in actuality. I believe that the devil lacked integrity because his truths did nothing but cause others grief. In contrast, Goodman Brown was believably honorable at the beginning of the story as his hid his wicked intentions from his wife who he believed was innocent. Although he lied to his wife, he preserved his integrity because he shouldered his dark secret in order to spare Faith’s feelings. While the devil hurt others with his truths, Goodman Brown only hurt himself with his lies, which is what initially made him better than the devil. However, as Goodman Brown’s integrity was challenged over and over again by the evils presented to him by the devil as well as his own sinful temptation, he ended up losing the honor he worked so hard

Thus when Goodman Brown leaves his "faith", it is not a departure from virtue, but a departure from deception.  To continue the allegorical analysis, Goodman Brown represents any naturally good human being caught in puritanism's web.  His journey through the evil forest is a journey into truth - into Hawthorne's reality of evil puritanism. He discovers that all the "pious" members of the community are actually evil, which, when interpreted directly, tends to suggest the true nature of puritanism.  And when these same upstanding puritans mingle with those of  "dissolute lives" and "spotted fame(384)," Hawthorne is suggesting that Puritans are on the same level as these individuals in that there actions are no less morally repugnant.  Brown's conversation with Satan suggests that Puritans have always unconsciously committed sin in their