Theme Of Evil In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

In the short story “Young Goodman Brown,” a good and proud Puritan man; Goodman Brown, encounters a devil that causes him to become aware of the town he lives in. Goodman Brown believes that a meeting with the Devil cannot change his faith in religion. He desires to find more about his inner domains, but later finds out how hypocritical his town is. He then comes to realization that man is imperfect and defect. Goodman Brown later dies a sore death from the insight of his journey in the forest. In “Young Goodman Brown” Nathaniel Hawthorne uses imagery, symbolism, and allegory throughout the story to question the faith of man. The narrator uses dark and light imagery, people and names to illustrate the irony.

“Young Goodman Brown” is a story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1835. This was the period around the crazy incidents of the Salem Witch Trials. This piece is covered with topics that can be described as having alternative meanings. Through the symbolism in the story, the audience is able to make ties between the old relationships Goodman Brown had with the other townspeople. The series of event in the story bring him to believe that his entire life was a lie and no one was worthy of his trust. All of the misconceptions in his life were brought on by the occupations and actions that his fellow townsfolk underwent while Goodman Brown was around them. Through the regards of symbolism, new meanings of this nighttime experience are

In "Young Goodman Brown." Nathaniel Hawthorne considers the question of good and evil, suggesting that true evil is judging and condemning others for sin without looking at one's own sinfulness. He examines the idea that sin is part of being human and there is no escape from it.

    "'Lo! There ye stand, my children,' said the figure, in a deep and solemn tone, almost sad, with its despairing awfulness, as if his once angelis nature could yet mourn for our miserable race. "Depending on one another's hearts, ye had still hoped, that virtue were not all a dream. Now ye are undeceived! Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness. Welcome, again, my children, to the communion of your race!'"

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” is an excellent example of the use of allegories and symbolism as a form of satire on Puritan faith. According to Frank Preston Stearns, author of The Life and Genius of Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Hawthorne may have intended this story as an exposure of the inconsistency, and consequent hypocrisy, of Puritanism” (Stearns 181). Throughout the story of “Young Goodman Brown,” Hawthorne tries to infuse as many symbols and allegories as he can to enhance the overall meaning of his story. He uses the village, Goodman Brown, Faith, the man in the forest, and the time spent in the forest as either a symbol or an allegory to get his point across that Puritans are not always what they seem to be.

“Young Goodman Brown,” a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, recounts the tale of a young Puritan man who is transformed by witnessing the bitter truths of humanity. In Goodman Brown’s journey into the woods, he discovers the hidden evils of the individuals that once appeared virtuous to him. Throughout the story, the forces of good and evil are contrasted. In this short story, Hawthorne uses symbolism, the discordance between a character’s appearance and his/her true nature, and contrasting colors to portray the vicious and hypocritical nature of Puritans.

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.

In the short story “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the reader is left with unanswered questions about what actually happened to Goodman Brown the night he took an unforgettable journey into the woods. Therefore, questions form about dream or real life occurrences, and it lingers over the minds of the readers after this ominous, short story ends. Experience versus imagination in the short story “Young Goodman Brown” are questionable because Hawthorne allows the reader to interpret their own imaginations with evidence to conspire if Brown only had a dream, or if it was all reality proving that evil lives within everyone.

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.

Hawthorne's ambiguous ending in "Young Goodman Brown" leaves the reader asking one question. "Had Goodman Brown fallen asleep in the forest and only dreamed a wild dream of a witch hunting?" Most readers of this allegory try to answer this question, believing that Goodman Brown did in fact take the "dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest." Hawthorne himself has avoided answering the question, and has instead left it up for the reader to decide Goodman Brown's fate. The reader can never be certain about what actually happened in the forest; the reader can, however, be certain, not only of the nature and stages of Goodman Brown's despair, but also of its probable cause. This can be seen through Faith, Brown's

“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.

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.

He judges them; however, the real issue with going into the devilish ways is within him. Kumra writes, “While the community accused others of witchcraft, they never knew that the evil spirit they wanted to rid the community of was hidden within themselves” (Kumra). While on his journey through the forest with his acquaintance, Brown contemplates several times if he should continue walking through. In the end, he goes against his beliefs and goes deep into the forest, betraying the Christian way. Hawthorne’s story shows his readers a glance at the darkness hidden inside Goodman Brown’s heart.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “Young Goodman Brown,” Hawthorne presents the tale of a young man from Salem, Massachusetts during colonial America. One night, Brown accidentally witnesses a witches meeting in the forest where he sees the rest of the town, including his wife Faith, in attendance. This comes as quite a shock to Brown and the next morning but he cannot remember whether or not the scene was real of simply a dream. Regardless, from then on Brown lives his life in opposition to the rest of the town. Although it may seem that the meaning of the story comes simply from an evaluation of Brown himself, and the actions he takes against the towns people, more needs to be done to fully comprehend the totality of Hawthorne’s

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