“Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “A White Heron” by Sarah Orne Jewett share many similarities. One of these similarities includes Young Goodman Brown and Sylvia’s innocence. Upon entering the woods, they meet a stranger who tries to steal their innocence away. Although these strangers are different people, they offer Young Goodman Brown and Sylvia alluring things, which come at a cost. The price is their innocence. There are many parallels in these two stories, but ultimately Sylvia and Young Goodman Brown make different choices with similar outcomes when it comes to their innocence. Because these two stories are very similar, the way that I read “A White Heron” was directly affected by previously reading “Young Goodman Brown.” Within these two stories, the main characters have tangible items which symbolize their innocence - they are both tempted to give them up at a price - and finally the interpretation of these stories is affected by intertextuality.
For Young Goodman Brown, the tangible object that represents his innocence is his wife Faith. Faith, his wife, with her pink ribbons embodies his purity and innocence, “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 while she called to Goodman Brown” (Hawthorne 1). Here Faith seems young, free and innocent as she lets the wind play with her pink ribbons. Faith does not want Young Goodman Brown to leave her alone for the night, yet he does anyway. If he had simply just stayed home as his Faith wanted, he never would have walked with the Devil or almost given up his innocence. An online source entitled “Color Psychology” calls pink a representation of “[...]the sweetness ...
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...oodman Brown’s innocence is directly intertwined with his wife Faith, so, when she is seen at the satanic ceremony, Young Goodman Brown does not know what to believe in anymore. Faith’s pink ribbons are a deeper representation of the girlish innocence she carries within her. Likewise, Sylvia's innocence is interlaced with the white heron. If the bird were to die, then so would her innocence as she would be taking a step into the adult world. Since I read “Young Goodman Brown” first, my interpretations and connections that I made between the endings of “A White Heron” might not have been there if I were to read the stories in reverse order. Overall, the principle of intertextuality in “A White Heron” and “Young Goodman Brown” shaped my interpretation of the way Sylvia and Brown go through temptation to give up their innocence and must find their own way to retain it.
Hawthorne and Poe showcase a theme of darkness but differ in their approach to the setting. In Young Goodman Brown, the story primarily
The pink ribbons on Faiths cap represent faith and playfulness. This is kind of ironic considering her name is Faith and the pink ribbons also mean faith. Faith's pink ribbons are the symbol for the good in the story and show that there is faith with Goodman Brown. "Faith! Faith!" cried the husband. "Look up to Heaven, and resist the Wicked One!" (68) Goodman Brown tries to receive the good from Faith while he is surround by evil. Faith seems to be one of the few "good" symbols in the story and just happens to be Goodman Browns wife. "My faith is gone!"(50)cried he. When Goodman Brown
In the first paragraph, it is described as “Faith, as the wife was aptly named, [who] thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons of her cap while she called to Goodman Brown” (310). As one can see, Faith is described as a pretty woman, who is possibly young because young girls usually wear ribbons. Children are known for their innocence and purity, so perhaps these ribbons represent this idea. The author repeatedly mentions her ribbons throughout the story, pointing towards a significant meaning. In the middle of Young Goodman Brown’s expedition in the forest, he explains that “But something fluttered lightly down through the air and caught on the branch of the tree. The young man seized it, and beheld a pink ribbon. ‘My Faith is gone...There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil; for to thee is this world given.’” (315) Goodman Brown discusses the devil and exclaims how nothing is just in this world. The ribbon fluttering down from the sky suggests that Faith has lost her purity and has turned to sin. This seems a little paranoid, as Goodman Brown assumes that his wife resorted to transgression. In fact, this paranoia is more exposed when he is talking to himself and saying things like “Faith! Faith…Look up to heaven, and resist the wicked one.”
Hawthorne incorporates symbols into his story in a powerful way, however Irving’s symbols are not equally powerful. Hawthorne uses Faith’s pink ribbon to symbolize her purity. The ribbon is fitting because the color pink is associated with virginity and purity. The color is commonly worn by young girls when they are young and pure. The ribbon allows the audience to assume that Faith, like her name, is a religious young woman who lives her life by the holy bible. The action of the ribbon can even change it’s symbolism. While Brown is in the woods he sees Faith’s pink ribbon soar through the sky, symbolizing her loss of purity and entrance into the devil’s dominion. The second powerful symbol that Hawthorne incorporates is the staff that the old man offers Brown in the woods. The staff symbolizes Brown’s temptation o...
Before young Goodman Brown begins his journey, he says his farewells to his wife, Faith, who is reluctant to see him go. “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 while she called to Goodman Brown. ‘Dearest heart,’ whispered she…, ‘prithee put off your journey until sunrise and sleep in your own bed to-night…’ ‘My love and my Faith,’ replied young Goodman Brown, ‘of all nights in the year, this one night must I tarry away from thee…’” (Hawthorne pg. 1). Before departing on his “journey”, Goodman Brown bids goodbye to his wife. Faith’s pink ribbons are not only a symbol of the innocence and purity of Faith, but also for the innocent and immature views of Goodman Brown, who has until his journey into the woods, only seen the unblemished and holy side of his fellow townspeople rather than understanding that almost all people, good and bad alike, will carry some kind of sin. After entering the woods, Goodman Brown meets a man dressed in “grave and decent attire” who greets the goodman upon seeing him. “‘You are late, Goodman Brown,’ said he. ‘The clock of the Old South was striking as I came through Boston, and that is full fifteen minutes agone.’ ‘Faith kept me back a
Hawthorne skillfully uses Goodman Brown’s wife’s name, Faith, as a symbol of Goodman Brown’s strong faith when Brown’s reassuring response to Faith imply that his faith cannot be weakened: “Amen!’ cried Goodman Brown, “Say thy prayers, dear Faith, and go to bed at dusk, and no harm will come to thee” (Hawthorne 22). Brown leaves Faith; whom he describes as a “blessed angel on earth,” and journeys to the forest (Hawthorne 22). Taking the dark, dreary road into the forest symbolizes his act of jumping into the path leading to despair. The forest represents sin, and the evil grows stronger and stronger as Goodman walks further into the
For instance, in the beginning of the story, Goodman Brown must leave his newly wed wife, Faith, at sunset for an appointment in the nearby forest. Since his wife worries that he would not return safely, he comforts her and “vows to be true to Faith and to their religious faith” (Lawson). Once Brown arrives at the forest, he is acquainted with a “figure of a man, with grave and decent attire, seated at the foot of an old tree” (“Young Goodman Brown”). This man is eerily “bearing a considerable resemblance to him” which equates that “they might have been taken for father and son” (“Young Goodman Brown”). Though the stranger appears harmless, little did Brown know, that he will actually take a journey with the devil. This is an example that evil and sin can be in many forms and deceptions. As Brown continues on his excursion through the woods, he learns that religious idols with virtuous reputations in the village have done sinful deeds. This makes Brown’s faith in God waver. Sequently, Brown becomes frantic and questions if Faith could also be a victim of this “pious and ungodly” distortion until he sees “something [fluttering] lightly down through the air… a pink ribbon” (“Young Goodman Brown”). As evidence that his worst thought imaginable came true, he cried, “My Faith is gone!” meaning he lost his beloved and innocent wife to Satan
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.
When reading Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” or Herman Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener,” the audience might notice how they are stories of men who become detached from the society after a notable change in how they act towards the world. However, while Bartleby’s disconnection stems from work-related changes, Young Goodman Brown’s disconnection is caused by a “spiritual” experience. I want to focus on how many things these characters have in common, to show what may have caused their change of view in the societies around them.
In the story "Young Goodman Brown", Nathaniel Hawthorne uses a dream to illustrate a young man’s loss of innocence, understanding of religion and his community. Through this dream, the main character Young Goodman realizes that the people that he surrounds himself with are not who he believes them to be. The story of “Young Goodman Brown” focuses on the unconscious mind. The characters in this short-story are able to represent the struggle of Young Goodman’s superego, ego, and id.
It is impossible to fairly analyze Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, "Young Goodman Brown" around a single literary approach. American novelist, essayist, and poet, Herman Melville, once wrote about Hawthorn's short story that it over time, like wine, it only improves in flavor and body (The Life and Works of Herman Melville). Hawthorne's short story continues to get better with age, and carries today's readers into a world filled with a plethora of meanings for them to pick from its symbolism. Modern readers have interpreted the meaning of Goodman Brown's experience in many ways, but to pigeon hole the story into one view would destroy its veracity.
Goodman Brown in the short story “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne goes on a journey into the woods to meet a stranger which ultimately changes his life. His blind faith in his religion makes him believe that all people are good. Goodman Brown is a trusting, naive man in the beginning if the story but witnesses a witch ceremony that changes his personality drastically. Seeing his family and his neighbors taking part in the sinful act changes his outlook on life and his outlook on their personalities as well. Brown’s blind faith in people and his naivety make the shock of what he sees in the woods turn him into an untrusting, paranoid man.
...ther serves to excite and stimulate our senses as we travel into the deranged mind of a killer ? offering us a unique perspective through the first person point of view. Similarly, the ending of ?Young Goodman Brown? offers a moral, but leaves the main character in a state of discord and callousness towards his wife, and his religion. The story is didactic, because the main character is punished for his transgressions. Symbolism, evident especially in Hawthorne?s allegory, and the repetition of Poe?s suspenseful tale serve to further the goals of each writer. Ultimately, Hawthorne?s Goodman Brown becomes isolated from humanity, an issue of the head and the heart, and Poe?s narrator withdraws inside himself, an issue purely of the mind. Recognizing this discord from the self and humanity is essential to understanding the behavior of these troublesome characters.
...Brown, like all humans, sees that everyone can be corrupt and immoral, that it is possible for people to make mistakes. This is extremely disappointing to brown and ruins him. Brown felt that he made the right decision and did not follow the devil, but everyone else around him did. Even his own wife follows the devil. She is supposed to represent holiness and faith, and she is just as corrupt as everyone else. This portrays how even the church, which is supposed to be holy, can be corrupt. The story symbolizes that everyone in society is flawed and no one is perfect. However this idea drives Goodman brown to become insane. He dwells on this fact and loses his ability to see the good in people as well as the bad. Brown couldn't realize that even if people are evil at times, they can still be good people. This is what caused brown to change so drastically.
In Young Goodman Brown, symbolism is displayed in many areas. The first obvious one is the use of the word faith. Young Goodman Brown has a wife named Faith and in the later part of the story he actually loses his faith. The pink ribbon can also be used as a symbol. This is also a demonstration of ambiguity. Red often refers to sex while white refers to purity. However since pink is a mixture between red and white this leads us to think that there can be suspicion in this story. Other symbols from this book are the names of the people. In our class discussion we talked about the Puritans and the way they named their children. They name their children after things that are very important to them such as faith, purity, and chasity. Throughout this book there are many names used such as Faith and Goodman Brown.