Young Goodman Brown VS. Paul Essay

Cordelia Street was a constant reminder of what society Paul was supposed to fit into. He did not want the typical American dream where he found love at a young age, got married, had kids, and worked the rest of his life to support his family. Every Sunday on Cordelia Street the families sat on their stoops conversing with one another. “The men on the steps- all in their shirt sleeves, their vest unbuttoned- sat with their legs well apart, their stomach comfortably protruding, and talked of the prices of things, or told anecdotes of the sagacity of their various chiefs and overloads.” (Cather 107). The commonness of that lifestyle made Paul very discontent, he believed his fate was to be rich and live with luxury. The people who surrounded

Goodman Brown seems to be a religious man that is becoming skeptical about his faith and the goodness in people. Nathaniel Hawthorne names his main character Goodman, which is a representative of the general good in all men and women. As Goodman Brown takes his journey through the forest he begins to lose his faith. Goodman Brown says “What a wretch am I to leave her on such an errand!” (Hawthorne 1) and when he tells his companion “having kept covenant by meeting thee here, it is my purpose now to return whence I came. I have scruples touching the matter thou wot’st of” (Hawthorne 3).

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.

As Brown starts on his adventure he recalls that his wife, Faith, had dreams of this particular adventure, dreams that warned him not to go; this feeling of uncertainty sparks a feeling of anxiety in Brown as he continues walking through the forest and on with his journey. As he walks on, the scenery around him begins to change, "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." (310). This quote describes the dark and gloomy surroundings that Brown is walking through on his journey, it also creates the mood of fear and hesitance as he continues on his way. Then as Brown is walking along he comes to encounter a man dressed in grave and decent attire. The man states "You are late, Goodman Brown," and Brown replies by saying, "Faith kept me back awhile." (310) In literal terms he is speaking of his wife, but metaphorically he could be speaking of his faith in god and how it almost kept him from embarking on his journey. Hawthorne creates many metaphors in his story of "Young Goodman Brown." Later on in Brown's journey he meets a man with a cane that resembles a snake, the serpent is a symbol of evil, and then when Brown protests against the devil, "With heaven above, and Faith below, I will yet stand firm

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,

Paul also openly criticizes conformity frequently throughout the story. Paul’s criticisms can be seen in his detailed observations of people and their routines. However, none of these criticisms compare to Paul’s hate for his home on Cordelia Street. Cather describes Cordeila Street, noting that all the houses are identical, as well as its inhabitants. Following the description of the street, Cather describes Paul’s hatred for his mediocrity plagued home is expressed: “Paul never went up Cordelia Street without a shudder of loathing… he approached it to-night with the nerveless sense of defeat, the hopeless feeling of sinking back forever into ugliness and commonness that he had always had when he came home”(Pg. 5). Later on in the story, while Paul is in New York and is contemplating his fear of being reprimanded for his actions, he constantly reminds himself of the painful existence that awaits him on Cordelia Street: “It was to be worse than jail, even; the tepid waters of Cordelia Street were to close over him finally and forever. The grey monotony stretched before him in hopeless, unrelieved years”(Pg. 13). Cather seems to use Cordiela street as a all-encompassing metaphor for conformist society; and Paul’s individuality and hate for Cordiela Street serves as the contrasting element, in turn becoming the most

     The main focus of the story “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is the triumph of evil over good. A supposedly good man is tempted by evil and allows himself to be converted into a man of evil. This is much like the situation that arises in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, where two people are tempted to sin and give in thus submitting themselves to the power of the devil. In this novel, the area where the devil resides is strictly parallel to that in “Young Goodman Brown”.

“Young Goodman Brown” is a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne is an excellent piece that clearly illustrates Sigmund Freud theory of repression through Young Goodman Brown’s faith in his puritan religion. Brown in his unconscious mind is, however, challenged by the evils which surround him that he tries to repress and thus, a battle between good vs. evil surfaces.

“Young Goodman Brown” and “Good Country People” are short stories written a little more than 100 years apart by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Flannery O’Connor respectively, and they both follow similar themes about religion and faith in a parallel sense. “Young Goodman Brown” follows the story of a devout Puritan losing his faith in God and humanity through a journey in the woods. While “Good Country People” follows the story of an amputee woman who is “tricked” by a fake Bible salesman into going out with him as she is seduced by his Christian principles. Both “Young Goodman Brown” and “Good Country People” depict a story of faith but in reciprocal directions. “Young Goodman Brown” and “Good Country People” argue how one’s faith and identity can so easily be weakened and undermined by outside influences and temptations using techniques and views typical of Romanticism and Southern Gothic respectively.

Paul was never content with his house on Cordelia Street and was always dreaming about "movin' on up" while he worked at Carnegie Hall and watched the actors and actresses move about in their stately attire and live in the most luxurious of hotel suites. Because of this dream to get out of the area in which he lived, Paul hardly ever got along with his teachers and his father. The thought of taking full advantage of

What do you think of when you hear someone ask “What is a gothic story”? Gothic Literature is the combination of fiction, horror, death, and romance. Within the two short stories Young Goodman Brown and The Man in the Black Suit, there is a character within in story, that is accused of being “the devil”. Although each story has “the devil” within them, their endings are two completely different ones. Young Goodman Brown is not similar to the man in the Black Suit. Young Goodman Brown ends up being all alone by the end of the story. While on the other hand, Gary is still surrounded by his loving family. The devil is said to be able to be do anything he wishes with just a single breath. “This was a special bee, a devil-bee, and it had come back to finish the other of Albion and Loretta’s two boy” (Gary).

In the short story of “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the character of Brown is set in Salem Village around the 17th century. Brown is a Puritan who strives to live a sin-free life filled with strong Christian morals. However, the moment he caught a glimpse of evil, his life changed forever. Suddenly, his trust in the Puritan society turned to distrust and betrayal. In comparison to “Young Goodman Brown,” the short story of “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” by Flannery O’Connor includes the character with a self-made name who is known as, The Misfit. The Misfit is a man who strived to live a life of sin based on his perceptions of people, but his views of evil and sin were completely innocent in his eyes. In both short stories, Brown and The Misfit let the causes and effects of evil alter their lives, however there were a few differences with the consequences of their actions.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman Brown”, the author uses several different literary elements to tell the story of Goodman Brown’s transformation. Why did he begin his journey and what were the repercussions of this decision are questions to be asked. An examination of character, setting, and symbolism provides some insight. Goodman Brown’s choices illustrate that one’s actions can lead to unintentional consequences later on in life and the author’s use of setting and symbolism add to an understanding of Brown’s transformation.

Goodman Brown, since the beginning shows a great faith even before entering the forest and even throughout his journey to the “black mass”. A clever way of symbolizing way that Hawthorne used was that of Goodman Browns wife; faith, to symbolize the faith Brown has on himself. "And Faith, as the wife was aptly named, thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons of her cap"(304) Goodman Browns faith stated initially in the description of his wife. Hawthorne implies that Faith is pure and innocent, which is how Goodman’s brown faith is As for Browns remarks to Faith assures or suggest they his Faith cannot be broken ; "'Amen!'

Goodman Brown decides to journey through the forest despite his wife, Faith, warning him not to go until the sunrise. He instead says that he need to take the journey that night and come back by morning. His desire to go to the forest exposes his ego, which is a human nature, and the unconscious side of life. In the forest, there is a lot of evil things happening where the evil spirits are meeting and welcoming their new converts. He decides to leave behind his wife Faith, whom he knows very well, and instead decides to travel to unknown life. This shows the human nature of their hidden desire to the unknown. As he starts the journey, Faith pleads with him to postpone it but he does not want to listen to her which shows how humans behave when they desire overpowers their consciousness. There are voices or our conscious instinct that try to plead with people to not take the road they