Corruption Exposed In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

758 Words2 Pages

"Young Goodman Brown" is an ethical story, which is told through the corruption of a religious pioneer. In "Young Goodman Brown", Goodman Brown is a Puritan pastor who lets his pride in himself meddle with his relations with his community after he meets with the devil, and makes him carry on with the life of an outcast in his own community.
"Young Goodman Brown" begins when Brown's wife, asks him not to go out. Goodman Brown says to his wife "this one night I must tarry away from thee." When he says his "love" and his "Faith", he is referring to his wife, and his faith in God. He then wanders into the woods to meet with the Devil, and by doing so, he leaves his verifiable confidence in God with his wife. In the text it states that he will …show more content…

Brown begins to say that he originates from a "race of honest men and good Christians" and that his dad never went on this errand and neither will he. The Devil rushes to bring up the point that he was with his dad and granddad when they were beating a woman and burning down an Indian town. These demonstrations are humorous in that they were awful deeds done for the sake of good, and it shows that Goodman Brown doesn't really come from a great Christian background.

"Young Goodman Brown" finishes when Brown comes back to Salem at dawn. He doesn't believe that he is in the same place that he was the night before; in light of the fact that to him, Salem was no longer his home.He felt like an outsider in a world of sinners and Devil worshippers.Brown expresses his discomfort with his new surroundings. His outrage towards the community grows stronger when he sees Faith who is very excited to see him. The text states,"sternly and sadly into her face, and passed on without a greeting." This demonstrates how Brown can't stand to look at his wife the same. He feels that despite the fact that he was at the Devil's service, he is still superior to other people in that community due to his pride. Brown feels as if he can belittle and put his wrong doings on others rather than observing his own actions and resolving his problems

Open Document