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The character of young goodman brown
The character of young goodman brown
Symbolism Nathaniel Hawthorne uses in his stories
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Final Exam Questions: Nathaniel Hawthorne Through means of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story, “Young Goodman Brown,” Hawthorne manipulates allegorical dimension in order to lure readers into his writing. He creates doubt and curiosity within the readers’ minds by meshing both the actual and fantasy; furthermore, altering certain truths and consequently creating an imaginary world, which marks the success of Hawthorne’s technique. A definite sense of corruption is seen as Young Goodman Brown converses with the Devil. Hawthorne successfully manipulates the environment within the story to take the form of meaningful symbols, staying true to his influence by the Romantic period. In my opinion the most interesting aspect of the story is when the narrative …show more content…
No matter how minute or immense an object was, it is evident that in this particular story it had a profusion of importance to Hawthorne; clearly Hawthorne anticipated that each symbol would have a great impact for each reader in order for him or her to form their own conclusions of each event. Undoubtedly, through his descriptive writing Hawthorne invites the readers into his fictional world where they will unexpectedly explore multiple interpretations and possible connections among the characters and certain symbolic ambiguities waiting to be discovered within each scene. Additionally, Hawthorne initiates his narration by introducing the awareness of the Forrest, making it an obvious representation. Clearly it represents evil in the world similar to the Puritan’s analogy that the woods are inhabited by the devil; thus Young Goodman Brown’s nocturnal expedition is one full of sin, darkness, and shame. Correspondingly, the most obvious symbol that I noticed as I read this story was the loss of virtuousness. Inadvertently as a result of Hawthorne’s writing the audience is exposed …show more content…
During his journey Young Goodman Brown found himself entangled within a web of moral controversy; this occurrence exposed his and society’s inner struggle with temptation and religious devotion. For the most part Young Goodman Brown found his downfall inevitable because although he chose good, evil seemed to prevail within his surroundings. He later declared, “"My Faith is gone!" cried he, after one stupefied moment. "There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil; for to thee is this world given."” By this point in the story Young Goodman Brown came to the realization that most individuals fail to stay strong and true to their principles. Perhaps after his imaginary veil was removed he mourned pursuing his curiosity instead of living in his previous well-lived fantasy world where mostly everyone appeared to be
In the short story Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne, symbolism plays a vital role in the interpretation of the events of the story by the audience. In a work that is apparently never what it seems, drawing upon these symbols for clarity helps to provide the audience with additional depth to the deception that Goodman Brown feels. When going on his errand into the forest one night, Goodman Brown encounters the devil disguised as a man which is the beginning of his demonic encounters. The meeting symbolizes the start of his downward slope into the loss of faith of those around him and his own religious beliefs as well. He navigates the dark and chilling forest only to ultimately end up in the middle of it alone, which represents his journey through life after his revelation about the people in his community that night. His new found beliefs cause a projection of his own internal evil feelings upon his new wife faith. A woman who he once adored and had complete faith in just like her name, he now becomes very distant with and hardly acknowledges. His distance is due...
Nathaniel Hawthorne was an active anti-transcendentalist, whose stories pinned individuals against society. Hawthorne was one of many Dark Romantics well known for their overall use of symbolism. One such example comes from The Sca...
During Goodman Brown’s journey, he recognized Goody Cloyse, his catechism teacher, the preacher, and Deacon Gookin is going to the devil’s meeting. However, after seeing his church members at the devil’s meeting, Goodman says, “My Faith is gone! and There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come devil! for to thee is this world given” (Hawthorne 27). “But, where is Faith?”, asked Goodman Brown (Hawthorne 29). As hope came into his heart, he trembled when he found the pink ribbon of his wife, Faith, in the forest. At that moment, Goodman Brown lost his faith in his family and church members. Goodman becomes unforgiving of others and believes only evil can be created from evil and there is nothing that anyone can do to change it. Here, Hawthorne demonstrates that a naive faith in our family, friends, and church member’s righteousness could lead to distrust. While, “Young Goodman Brown” lives a long life with Faith, he never loses his meanness toward humanity and the evil in the world, “for his dying hour was gloom” (Hawthorne
Hawthorne’s use of the three literary techniques of symbolism, imagery, and irony are what make his novel a masterpiece. By using these three techniques, he allows the reader to find inspiration and morality, visualize the plot, and become absorbed in the work itself.
For example, in the beginning of the story, Young Goodman Brown is leaving his wife Faith at sunset to go on a journey that cannot wait. The images of a sunset and of the approaching nighttime illustrate the fear of the unknown. Goodman Brown must travel through the darkness before he reaches the light of knowledge just as the prisoners in Allegory of the Cave must travel from the dark cave in order to reach the light. As the story continues, Hawthorne uses the image of a “dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest” to heighten the fear of the unknown. Goodman Brown has left the comfort of the cave of confusion and is beginning to discover the imperfections of the world and of its people.
In the story, “Young Goodman Brown”, Brown centers as an allegory. Allegory is “a story in which the characters and events are symbols that stand for ideas about human life…” (Allegory). According to Myers, “Hawthorne wrote about individuals who suffer from inner conflicts caused by sin, pride, untested innocence, hidden guilt…” (400). Goodman Brown suffer from some of those conflicts which are sin and pride. Goodman Brown had a strong belief in his religion, but he tested his belief and faith by listening to his inner self. In “Young Goodman Brown”, Brown’s life change when he started his journey leaving his wife Faith into the darkness. His inner self told him to walk this path even though Faith begged him to stay. Along the way he meet people he knew but he met a particular one that change his life which was the devil. Brown was overwhelmed of all the people he thought were good innocence people but really was not because they took the same path as him. While on this path he was losing his faith little by little but he...
The story of “Young Goodman Brown” presents a struggle with the clash of Goodman Brown’s cultural fate of being a Puritan and his mind that is exposed to unholy acts. He goes from a prisoner of only what his society has shown him to a prisoner of the fate to live in it even after he learns it’s potential evilness. By not succumbing to the sinfulness of his journey, Young Goodman Brown in turn succumbs to the struggle within his mind. He is trapped by taunting thoughts and allows his life to be guided by the confusion that has caused him to forever question reality.
First, Hawthorne blatantly critiques religion and its hierarchy of power; the protagonist in “Young Goodman Brown” is convinced (in a dream state or not) that those in his community, including the higher ups of the church, defect to the devil.
Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes symbolism throughout his short story Young Goodman Brown to impact and clarify the theme of good people sometimes doing bad things. Hawthorne uses a variety of light and dark imagery, names, and people to illustrate irony and different translations. Young Goodman Brown is a story about a man who comes to terms with the reality that people are imperfect and flawed and then dies a bitter death from the enlightenment of his journey through the woods. Images of darkness, symbolic representations of names and people and the journey through the woods all attribute to Hawthorne's theme of good people sometimes doing bad things.
At the beginning of his journey, Goodman Brown’s will and pride were both embedded in the belief that he was a pious man. Goodman’s pride in piety evidently fails him, as he discovers that his faith was based on the principles of individuals who had sworn allegiance to the devil. This deplorable truth destroyed his conviction, and in this sense the devil prevailed against Goodman Brown.
It is the purpose of this paper, which is in agreement with the conclusions of the latter, to show that Hawthorne 's method in Young Goodman Brown is that the full meaning cannot be determined by the story itself. Rather, the reader must be mindful of a trio of representative patterns
...ssed though the use of setting, foreshadowing, and symbolism. William Graham Sumner once said “Men never cling to their dreams with such tenacity as at the moment when they are losing faith in them, and know it, but do not dare yet to confess it to themselves.” (brainyquote.com). This statement holds many truths to the thoughts and actions of the young Goodman Brown in Hawthorne’s allegorical story. Brown was quick to go on his foreboding quest, knowing what his meeting with the devil may lead to, and only when threatened and scared attempted to turn back to hold on to both Faith physically and psychologically. Whether his journey into the forest was an illusion or not, Brown’s perception of faith in society have been dramatically altered, as he may have lost all faith in humanity.
In the beginning of the story Hawthorne uses the name Faith for Young Goodman Browns’ wife. Faith is a symbol of her husband’s strong faith in God. Young Goodman Browns’ own name is a symbol for the innocence of young, good men, and the journey represents the loss of their innocence. Faith urges him to stay and not journey into the forest, but Goodman Brown reassures her by saying “Say thy prayers, dear Faith, and go to bed at dusk, and no harm will come to thee”(cite) Goodman Brown believes his faith will help him overcome what the devil has to offer and while still maintaining his puritan faith. Puritans believe the forest to be inhabited by the devil and the woods in "Young Goodman Brown" are an obvious symbol of his journey into sin and darkness. Even Goodman Brown supports this idea when he says to himself as he is walking along, "There may be a devilish Indian behind every tree... What if the devil himself should be at my very elbow!" As Goodman Brown enters the forest he meets a traveler who is waiting there for ...
A second symbol is Satan's staff. It is portrayed as being crooked and black like a serpent. A serpent is thought of as being an evil creature so it is appropriate that Satan be carrying such a staff. It is also symbolic that every living thing Satan touches withers up and dies. This demonstrates how this evil apparition can suck the beauty as well as the life out of anything with which it comes in contact. The dark forest itself symbolizes the dark and evil nature of goodman Brown's journey.
the forest: "Hawthorne emphasizes the split between convention and the unconscious by having Brown move from the town to the country as he follows his impulses. The deeper he moves into the forest, the more completely he becomes one with his 'evil'" (Bunge 13).