The Self State Of Mind

Finally, Goodman Brown arrives at the initiation ceremony only to be confronted by the image of his wife at the unholy altar. Although Hawthorne never offers any true evidence that Goodman Brownâs experience in the woods was anything more than a dream or hallucination, the Puritan passes judgment on Faith, and forever doubts her goodness. By allowing his audience to internally assess Faithâs guilt or innocence, Hawthorne forces his reader into a role of complicity with Goodman Brown (McFarland 37). Thus, Hawthorne has created a troubling character with both light and dark facets.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman Brown,” tells the tale of a man whose Puritan beliefs were shaken to the core because reality turned out to be much different than he was taught in catechism. Goodman Brown showed readers how much he believed in his family’s goodness when he claimed “We have been a race of honest men and good Christians… We are a people of prayer, and good works, to boot, and abide no such wickedness” (Hawthorne 247). Because of this, Brown is surprised when he comes to know that people he thought were holy were in fact advocates for the devil and sinners- especially his wife Faith. People that he held in the highest regard were nothing but the lowest of the low to him now. He becomes surly, loses all faith in humanity, and develops a bitter worldview after this revelation.

Faith attempts to hold Brown back from his journey, yet for reasons unknown, he insists upon going. As Young Goodman Brown embarks on a journey into the forest without Faith, he also leaves behind his faith in society. Repeated images of the road Brown takes and the dark forest around him, add to the allegory. “He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through, and closed immediately behind. It was all as lonely as could be, and there is this peculiarity in such a solitude, that the traveler knows not who may be concealed by the innumerable trunks and the thick boughs overhead, so that with lonely footsteps he may yet be passing through an unseen multitude.” (Hawthorne 198). As Brown wanders down the dark foreboding path that closes behind him, the potential for spiritual danger arises, foreshadowing the loss of his spiritual faith.

Young Goodman Brown became hysterical after his visit into his “forest” or id. He cannot accept that even with his pure good heart, there was such evil in his unconscious. So with every thought that he was taught wrong by his religion, he simply just repressed it into his id or unconscious minds. And after he explored his id, Brown realize he wasn’t as pure as he hoped he

Faith plays a major role in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman Brown”. From the start of his journey to his arrival back home, Faith is always in the back of head, making him question his surroundings and own thoughts. It’s hard to determine when he’s speaking of his lovely wife Faith or his Faith in his God and religion. Through his many

Faith is all Goodman Brown has known. He had even married a Faith. The double meaning of Faith within this story shows major Irony for us as the readers. Brown marrying a Faith was almost shown as he made the biggest devotion towards God. The main character has put every ounce of Faith he has into his life that would completely give himself to God forever. This is

The short story “Young Goodman Brown” functions as an allegory of the Biblical fall of man, from which Nathaniel Hawthorne draws to illustrate what he sees as the inherent fallibility and hypocrisy in American religion. Hawthorne sets up a story of a man who is tempted by the devil and succumbs because of his curiosity and the weakness of his faith. Throughout the story Goodman struggles, not only with his Faith in Religion but also, his faith in people. The characters (Goodman Brown and Faith) draw a connection to the story of Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis, Chapter 3. Like Adam and Eve, Goodman and Faith fall prey to the temptations presented by the Devil. However, where we know that Adam and Eve both

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.

Young Goodman Brown is the stereotypical Puritan man who has been recently married, and is starting his life. His young wife, Faith, is representative of his literal Christian faith. He mentions near the beginning of the story that after this one night he’ll “cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven.” This is reminiscent of, I’m sure, every Christian’s desperate prayer that “after this one last time, I’ll quit for good, I promise.” Once Faith has been corrupted, Brown gives up. Once his Christian faith was found to be hollow, empty, and void of meaning, he has no reason left.

“Young Goodman Brown” is full of allegorical content relating to the Puritan religion. The names of the characters in “Young Goodman Brown” are the most profound examples of allegory influenced by Puritanism. The protagonist, Goodman Brown, has a name that suggests far more than just a name. “Goodman Brown” for example, is a name that presents the character as a good moralistic man that at all costs resists temptation. Goodman Brown’s wife, Faith, has a name that assists in illustrating the downfall of Goodman Brown. After seeing Faith in the forest, Goodman Brown cries, “My Faith is gone!”(323). His wife, Faith was gone along with his spiritual faith. We first see Goodman Brown as a moral Puritan man, and after loosing his faith he becomes the opposite.

In Hawthorne’s fiction, he shows sin is inevitable and inherent. Sin is essential for growth as well. Everyone should not hide their original sin and be afraid of it. Hawthorne’s use of symbolism in his story “The birthmark” to reveal that sin is unavoidable and inborn.

Throughout the story “Young Goodman Brown” Hawthorne shows us that a man’s faith is the most important power to have but at times because of so much faith people can end up getting curious towards the people they are surrounded with. While reading “Young Goodman Brown”, Hawthorne makes us asks ourselves the question “why is it that once Goodman Brown sees evil he loses his faith?” Goodman Brown believes that his faith is courageous enough for him to go into the forest and prove that there is no such thing as evil, but once he realizes that there is evil and that people from his own Puritan community are taking part of it he gains some kind of distrust against his own people and his faith. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman

Many events led up to him losing his faith and being consumed with self-doubt, but the one that finally pushed Goodman Brown over the edge to call onto the devil was when he could not find his wife Faith. The line “‘But where is Faith?’ thought Goodman Brown; and, as hope came into his heart, he trembled.” shows

Faith can be defined, as a firm belief in something for which there is no proof. "Young Goodman Brown" is about a man who leaves his wife, Faith, at home alone for a night while he takes a walk down the road of temptation with the devil. Along the road he sees many people that he would never expect to see on this road, his wife included. He returns to his life in Salem a changed man. In "Young Goodman Brown" Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism and characterization to imply that when individuals lose their faith in the goodness of mankind, they may begin to imagine that their peers have yielded to temptation.

When young Goodman Brown entered the forest, he strongly believed in his Christianity, but when he left, he did not have any faith left in him. The devil tempted him and Goodman completely lost it. “I have been was well acquainted with your family as with every one among the Puritans; and that’s no trifle to say” (YGB 18). He had no idea that the