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Allegory and symbolism in nathaniel hawthornes young goodman brown
Analysis of Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Analysis of Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne
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Young Goodman Brown Looses Faith in The Woods
In the story "Young Goodman Brown," written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author introduces evil images to tempt and delude Young Goodman Brown as he made his way through the woods. Goodman Brown, by the end of his journey, understands there is an evil side to human nature and believes that man is doomed by "original sin."
The main character, Goodman Brown is introduced as a well-mannered man who is happily married to Faith. Initially, the language such as "sunset" and "pink ribbons" symbolizes light and a positive environment in Salem Village, where the story takes place. Then, as Goodman Brown journeys through the woods, changes in the environment make him change the way in which he sees the world and people around him.
From the time he decides to go to the woods at night, this peaceful panorama presented in his hometown changes. Evil images like "devil, lonely thick boughs, "1 add an obscure and negative side to the story.
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 (p. 62).
This example reflects the change in environment for Goodman Brown after he left the positive world of the village. He felt he was passing through an unseen multitude since he could not know if there was someone concealed by the trees. This situation makes him question: "What if the devil himself should be at my very elbow" (p. 62). Goodman Brown, who wasn't aware of the existence of an evil side to the world, is being introduced to it through the natural objects in the woods, which provided a warning sign of the evil to come.
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...ream" (p. 70). Now the natural world and even his wife and fellow Puritans reveal a concept of evil to him. This makes him lose his faith in his religion and his own people. "My faith is gone! ... There is no god on earth; and sin is but a name. Come devil; for to thee is this world given" (p. 67). Whenever the minister talked about the sacred truths of religion, with the bible in his hands: "...then did Goodman Brown turn pale, dreading lest the roof should thunder down upon the gray blasphemer and his hearers" (p.70). His new attitude towards life in the village is a measure of his acceptance of the idea that man is doomed by "original sin."
Work Cited
Nathaniel Hawthorne, "Young Goodman Brown," in Literature: Reading and Writing the Human Experience, eds. Richard Abcarian, Marvin Klotz, Peter Richardson, 7th ed. (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998), p.62.
Fanny, the narrator's wife, reminds the narrator of what he used to be. More specifically, when he sees and talks to Fanny, the narrator remembers his daughter and the life he had. This would explain why he is so distant when speaking to his wife, when he does speak to her at all, that is. The narrator even fell asleep when he took Fanny out to the movies. In the narrator's words: "I fell asleep, and I'm afraid I snored" (Busch 869).
Blake's poems of innocence and experience are a reflection of Heaven and Hell. The innocence in Blake's earlier poems represents the people who will get into Heaven. They do not feel the emotions of anger and jealousy Satan wants humans to feel to lure them to Hell. The poems of experience reflect those feelings. This is illustrated by comparing and contrasting A Divine Image to a portion of The Divine Image.
Keynes, Sir Geoffrey. Introduction to William Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul. Ed. Geoffrey Keynes. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1967.
William Faulkner's "Barn Burning" provides an excellent example of how conflicting loyalties can affect decisions. In Faulkner's story, the main character, Sarty, faces such a dilemma. On one hand, Sarty has the morals that society has instilled in him in spite of his father. One the other hand, Sarty has the loyalty to his father because of the blood ties shared between them and the fact that his father raised and provided for him. Ultimately, it is these conflicting ideas that will lead to Sarty's final decision.
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 Goodman Brown is unable to accept the indefinable vision of betrayal and evil that he encounters in the forest. The uncertainty of this vision, enhanced by Hawthorne's deliberate, yet effective, use of ambiguity, is also seen in the character of Faith, the shadows and darkness of the forest, and the undetectable boundaries that separate nightmarish dreams from reality.
The confusion which the dark woods create for Goodman Brown symbolizes the blindness Goodman Brown has to the Puritan town’s corruption and evil. The beginning of his journey the readers acknowledge that Goodman Brown, “had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest of trees of the forest” (Hawthorne 261). The willingness which Goodman Brown has to take a dark and gloomy road symbolizes the willingness for Goodman Brown to stay blind to all that is going on throughout the town. The woods themselves being darkened and gloomy suggests the secrets that are hidden and if found could lead to great sadness. Since Goodman Brown is blind to the evil rituals that occur in the woods and his willingness to go into the woods, his actions suggest that Goodman Brown is living in a false sense of security. While walking through this dark and gloomy road, Goodman Brown and the traveler come across Goody Cloyse. During this instance the traveler’s walking stick becomes full of life and Goody Cloyse disappears soon after (Hawthorne 264). This situation with the walking stick in the woods shows the reader that the woods hold the truth and Goodman Brown’s obscurity of the truth. Continuing on his journey, Goodman Brown finally comes to the clearing. In that moment Goodman Brown, “Stepped forth from the shadow of the trees” (Hawthorne 269). As Goodman Brown does this he is awakened to the complete truth of the town. He sees the congregation, the supposedly holy people, his wife who was pure and innocent, and the ritual. Goodman Brown has emerged from his comforting darkness and out into the clarity that would separate the truth and the façade that the townspeople had made for the town. The moment in which he steps out, however, is when the Deacon asks for the new converts to come out (Hawthorne 269). This signifies a natural attraction to the area
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown." Literature Craft & Voice. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 449-55. Print.
The main characters in Hawthorne's story "Young Goodman Brown" are Goodman Brown, his wife Faith and the stranger who accompanies Goodman Brown in the forest. At the beginning of the story Brown is bidding his wife, Faith farewell at their front door. Taking a lonely route into the forest, he meets an older man who bears a fatherly resemblance to both Brown and the Devil. Later that night Brown discovers to his amazement, that many exemplary villagers are on the same path including, Goody Cloyse, a pious old woman who once taught him his catechism, but who readily shows that she certainly knew the Devil and practiced witchcraft. With Brown still confident that he could turn back, his older companion departs, leaving behind his curiously snakelike staff and fully expecting that Brown would follow.
“Young Goodman Brown”, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, delves into the classic battle between good and evil; taking the protagonist, Goodman Brown, on a journey to test the resolve of his faith. Goodman ventures out on his expedition deep into the sinister forest, in order to repudiate the attempt of the devil to sway him from Christianity; a test he believes his devout faith is prepared to confront. Goodman Brown is forever altered in ways unforeseeable by taking a stroll with the ultimate antagonist, the devil himself. The prevailing theme in this literary work, which is common in Hawthorne’s gothic writing, is the realization that evil can infect people who seem perfectly respectable. Throughout the course of his journey, Goodman Brown discovers that even highly reputable people of Salem are vulnerable to the forces of darkness.
The names of the characters Young Goodman Brown and his wife Faith are both symbolic. “Young" infers the title character is naive and new at life. Brown’s youth suggests that he is an uncorrupted and innocent young man. Moreover, "Goodman" suggests his self-righteousness thinking he is a good man. Furthermore, "Brown" indicates he is a commoner. Thus, the full name implies he is the average naive and self-righteous Puritan. Faith’s name in the story represents his need to cling to faith. She symbolizes everything that is good and Christian to Goodman Brown. Brown’s marriage to Faith is symbolic of how he clings to faith in good in the world.
Although Goodman Brown still seems to have a little faith in himself, he has lost his trust of people around the world. Goodman’s own fault of losing his faith causes him to hide from rest of the world. Rather than seeing the good people around him, he only sees evil people and thinks they are hypocrites. In reality, Goodman Brown is the hypocrite because he thinks he is able to pass judgment on people who sin, whereas he does not care about his own sin. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the dark forest and many symbols throughout the story to represent evil and sin which surrounds the world. The main point that he is trying to make is that all people are not as good as they think, so everybody should hate the sin not the sinner.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. 7th ed. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2007. 1289-98. Print.
William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience are collections of poems that utilize the imagery, instruction, and lives of children to make a larger social commentary. The use of child-centered themes in the two books allowed Blake to make a crucial commentary on his political and moral surroundings with deceptively simplistic and readable poetry. Utilizing these themes Blake criticized the church, attacking the hypocritical clergy and pointing out the ironies and cruelties found within the doctrines of organized religion. He wrote about the horrific working conditions of children as a means to magnify the inequality between the poor working class and the well to do aristocracy.
In 1789, English poet William Blake first produced his famous poetry collection Songs of Innocence which “combines two distinct yet intimately related sequences of poems” (“Author’s Work” 1222). Throughout the years, Blake added more poems to his prominent Songs of Innocence until 1794, when he renamed it Songs of Innocence and Experience. The additional poems, called Songs of Experience, often have a direct counterpart in Blake’s original Songs of Innocence, producing pairs such as “The Lamb” and “The Tyger.” In Songs of Innocence and Experience, Blake uses musical devices, structure, and symbolism to develop the theme that experience brings both an awareness of potential evil and a tendency that allows it to become dominant over childhood
The Song of Innocence and Experience is a collection of poems written by William Blake. “Innocence” and “Experience” are two definitions of consciousness that rethink John Milton’s existential-mythic states of “Paradise” and the “Fall”, this coincides with the romantic notion that adolescence is a state of protected innocence instead of original sin and yet is still not immune to the fallen world and its institutions.