“Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is an interesting tale about the struggle of choosing between good and evil. Throughout the story, Goodman Brown encounters characters while journeying towards an evil ceremony, and while travelling, Brown briefly encounters a variety of characters that are all gathered in the climatic final scene. Hawthorne, however, vividly uses language to describe his main characters. Therefore, the same language patterns can be used to draw conclusions about the final group of characters that we know so little about. For example, Hawthorne creatively uses color as a method of revealing the dispositions of Goodman Brown, Faith, and the Devil in order to infer the natures of minor characters homogeneously described …show more content…
That is to say, that Goodman Brown is inexplicably attracted to evil, yet once he comes in contact with evil, he shies away, culminating to create an indecisive character, thus generating the idea of his “brown” disposition. Initially, Brown seems to be nothing more than a happy newlywed, until Hawthorne unexpectedly twists the story, and Brown leaves his new wife, Faith, with the intention of participating in an evil ritual. Any guilt Brown feels in beginning the journey is quelled by thoughts Faith’s virtue, which he believes will secure him a place in heaven, and having so calmed himself, he feels “justified in making more haste on his present evil purpose” (Hawthorne 1346). However, shortly upon venturing into a dark forest, Brown’s resolve soon begins to fade, and he even refuses to continue the journey at one point saying, “Not another step will I budge on this errand” (Hawthorne 1349). Brown’s reluctance to fully commit to either the light or the dark illustrates …show more content…
Curiously, when Hawthorne is describing Faith, her most often mentioned feature is her pink ribbons. In the first six short paragraphs alone, her ribbons are mentioned a surprising three times. Neither is Hawthorne subtle in drawing attention towards them, as it is said that Faith “thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons of her cap” (Hawthorne 1346). Consequently, we can conclude that Faith’s ribbons must be significant within the story, and I argue that their color is especially telling, as it reveals something about her character. Paul Hurley, who wrote “Young Goodman Brown’s ‘Heart of Darkness,’” which primarily argues that Brown is evil, agrees that the ribbons must be an important part of the story. Hurley argues that because “Hawthorne concentrates so intensely on Faith’s ribbons, and their effect on Goodman Brown is so devastating, that one may assume they were intended as an important symbol” (416). While I agree with Hurley that the ribbons are an important symbol, his interpretation of what they represent is a bit awkward. Essentially, he likens their frivolity to Faith’s skirts, which Brown intends to clutch as he follows her into heaven, meaning that Brown merely hopes to observe religious practices rather than actively engage in them (416). Instead, I suggest that
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
Nathanial Hawthorne besieged with his ancestral ties to the Salem Witch Trials and his loathe for a Puritan society, lead him to create an allegory of a young man’s quest and his struggle between good and evil. Hawthorne wrote figuratively about Puritanical ideals, beliefs and social appearance in Young Goodman Brown. Also, the short story is centered on New England’s history, mostly inspired by Puritan beliefs.
When talking about Brown’s wife, Hawthorne describes her as “poor little faith,” (Hawthorne, 1) the “poor little” is advocating that she is innocent. He’s being specific with his words on how he is describing her, causing shock of unfaithfulness when the pink ribbon is found in the story. When Goodman Brown threw down the staff at the old women, the author supplementary, “Goodman Brown could not take cognizance,” (3) bearing the fact that he could not grasp the truth. Hawthorne applies, “vexed” (4) as Brown was getting aggravated when he recognized the voices of the minister and Deacon Gookin. By the word choice of vexed, indicates Browns difficult situation on realizing the puritan church was involved with devilish activities. “The blue sky was visible,” (4) sensing Brown still had a little hope, “except directly overhead, where this black mass of cloud was sweeping swiftly northward,” (4) however the darkness of the unbearable truth lingered all over Brown. Goodman Brown’s character experienced a change, describing him as, “you may as well fear him as he fear you.”(5) The statement of “may as well” suggesting that Brown was just as evil as the
...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 "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.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman Brown” manifests a duality of conflict – both an external conflict and an internal conflict. It is the purpose of this essay to explore both types of conflict as manifested in the story.
Unfortunately, Goodman Brown truly has lost his faith. Though his wife appears unchanged and wishes to welcome him with open, loving arms Brown rejects her. The reader is left slightly confused as to why, but perhaps Brown has given up hope that good can win over the enormous amount of sin or evil out there. He is unable to accept Faith now that he is forced to see her in her unclean or imperfect state. Brown can no longer see the good for the evil surrounding him, and has lost all hope. Although Brown tried to resist the devil, in the end he failed in his journey of exploring evil and returning to the side of good.
Literary Motifs in “Young Goodman Brown” A literary motif “is a conspicuous element, such as a type of incident, device, reference, or formula, which occurs frequently in works of literature” (Abrams 169). Incredibly, this one tale, “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, contains an array of familiar literary motifs (Axelrod 337). First of all, the tale involves the common motif of a journey in quest of something. The young Goodman Brown, at the beginning of the story, takes leave of his wife, Faith, in order to journey into the woods where he keeps an appointment with the devil: "My love and my Faith," replied young Goodman Brown, "of all nights in the year, this one night must I tarry away from thee.
Clarice Swisher in “Nathaniel Hawthorne: a Biography” states: ”When Hawthorne called his stories ‘romances,’ he meant that they belong within the romantic movement that . . . . emphasize imagination and personal freedom” (18). It is the purpose of this essay to interpret the theme of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” and determine where this “personal freedom” leads.
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
Faith is accepting what you are taught or told without trying to prove or disprove it, rather than discovering it through experience. Those who believe in God have faith. It has not been proven that God exists; similarly, it has not been proven that humans are kind, honest, and good by nature. Young Goodman Brown is a character in "Young Goodman Brown," who leaves his known world in Salem village and travels an unknown road in a dark forest in the middle of the night, a common motif in literature better known as the Hero's journey, and is faced with obstacles. He must decide if he will carry his journey out till the end, or turn back and not learn the truth about himself and other humans.
In Young Goodman Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the tale of a man and his discovery of evil. Hawthorne’s primary concern is with evil and how it affects Young Goodman Brown. Through the use of tone and setting, Hawthorne portrays the nature of evil and the psychological effects it can have on man. He shows how discovering the existence of evil brings Brown to view the world in a cynical way. Brown learns the nature of evil and, therefore, feels surrounded by its presence constantly.
Hawthorne uses symbolism to imply that when individuals lose their faith in the goodness of mankind, they may begin to imagine that their peers have yielded to temptation. The character of Faith is Goodman Brown's spouse, but she is also a symbol of his faith in mankind. Brown's relationship with Faith changes as the story progresses, from tender and caring love to judgmental scorn. Brown's thoughts about Faith as he leaves on his journey are: "Poor little Faith...she's a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night, I'll cling to her skirts and follow her to Heaven"(212). This statement shows that the protagonist has a deep love for his faith and knows that it can be his salvation. Later in the journey Brown offers his faith as the last reason to abort his walk with the devil: "Well, then, to end the matter at once,... there is my wife, Faith. It would break her dear little heart; and I'd rather break my own!" (214). At this point his faith is still more important to him than his own life. Later, just...
The use of dark imagery throughout the story gives you a sense of fear of the unknown that lies ahead of Goodman Brown on his journey. The beginning sentence of the story illustrates an image of a sunset and the approaching of night as Goodman Brown sets off on his mission. ?Young Goodman Brown came forth, at sunset, into the street of Salem village, but put his head back, after crossing the threshold.? (196) Here, the light of the sun represents the knowledge that Goodman Brown already has. The imagery of darkness setting in is the unknown knowledge Goodman Brown is out to discover. Goodman Brown must first travel through the darkness of the unknown before he reaches the light of enlightenment and truth that is why he is embarking on his journey throughout the night hours. ?My journey, as thou callest it, forth and back again, must needs be done ?twist now and sunrise.? (197)
Although this short story -- one of the greatest in American Literature -- was published almost a century before Sigmund Freud, a renowned psychologist and psychoanalyst, published his works, Young Goodman Brown almost explicitly illustrates how Freudian psychology works. A lot of aspects of psychology are depicted in this short story.