One of the most effective ways to read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” is by using psychoanalytic criticism to approach and interpret the text. Throughout the short story, Goodman Brown is under constant pressure from the three parts of his psyche, the Id, Ego, and Superego. Young Goodman Brown’s doesn’t just take a physical journey but in fact takes a psychological journey that explores the downfall of Goodman Brown’s sanity by having a constant struggle between his id, superego and ego. Sigmund Freud coined the terms Id, Superego and Ego in 1923 and the terms are responsible for a different aspect of a person’s psyche or mindset. “The id is the seething cauldron of basic drives in their primitive, selfish, unorganized state” …show more content…
Some believe that he projected the entire experience as a way for his Id portion of his psyche to manifest itself and to quench his sinful and guilt ridden desires. Goodman Brown portrays the Devil as a figure that closely resembles Brown himself, “and bearing a considerable resemblance to him, though perhaps more in expression than features. Still, they might have been taken for father and son” (Hawthorne pg#). Brown is so guilt ridden that he starts to project his anxieties and evils on the people around him. Psychoanalytic critics assert that the horrors of Brown 's dream and his criticism of others stem from the projection of Brown 's subconscious guilt onto those around his immediate vicinity and the village in which he lives. Brown feels guilt that he initially and subconsciously was overcome by his id to partake on this horrendous journey, to leave his wife Faith at home, and to meet with the Devil for a nefarious and evil ritual. Brown’s conflict originates in his superego, whose job is to discipline the ego for its defections and, as the voice of conscience and reason, to repress urges and instincts of the …show more content…
Multiple times throughout the text a “pink ribbon” or “pink” is visible, “letting the wind play with the pink ribbons of her cap, while she called to goodman Brown” (Hawthorne 796 ). The pink ribbons in Faith’s hair are exceedingly symbolic of her overall innocence and makes the fact that Goodman Brown is leaving her even more painful and riddles him with guilt. The pink ribbons resurface later on in the text as a bridge between the innocent Faith at the beginning of the story and the Faith of the latter part of the text that is going to succumb to evil and join the ranks of the other members of the Salem community. When Faith is being initiated to the Witches Sabbath ceremony and it is not until Goodman Brown sees a pink ribbon from Faith 's cap that has fallen from the sky and caught on a branch of a tree does he abandon all hope, crying “My Faith is
In reading Nathaniel Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown, many issues come up that arouse interest in topics of knowledge, evil, reality, amongst other things. During my experience reading this text, how Goodman Brown's outlook changed based on information revealed to him that may not even be the "reality" of the people he knows was fascinating. That knowledge gained outside traditional and physical realms can affect the mind and the perception of the world is a fascinating subject. I also found this interesting in conjunction with some of the concepts of literary critics we reviewed this week, as the question of what literature is and what it should do becomes important in the discussion of what happens to Goodman Brown, but subsequently what happens to the reader of his story.
The ambiguity surrounding Young Goodman Brown's wife, Faith, immediately becomes apparent at the story's beginning. As Young Goodman Brown is leaving his comfortable and reverent Puritan home to embark upon this mysterious journey, Faith unexpectedly plunges her "pretty head into the street" allowing the wind to tousle and "play with the pink ribbons of her cap"(1199). Hawthorne uses natural imagery, such as the image of the wind "playing" with Faith's pink ribbons, to convey Faith's attachment to nature; the dark and mysterious part of life that is somewhere outside the constraints of Puritan society. In fact, the image...
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.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “”Young Goodman Brown” is an allegorical piece that cautions against the potential of human evil. Hawthorne believed the most evil thing a person could do was deliberately harden his heart, to disregard others’ emotions entirely and therefore their humanity. In the story, young goodman Brown commits this unpardonable sin. He through on many separate occasions decided to continue a wicked journey, when it did not end exactly the way he wanted, he ended his relationship with Faith. Hawthorne uses symbols to demonstrate and hopefully prevent people from turning into young goodman Brown. Hawthorne chronicles Brown’s departure, his journey through the woods, and his arrival at the ceremony.
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.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown illustrates vividly how society and culture can very much influence a person’s sense of identity and belonging, or in the case of Young Goodman Brown the lack thereof. Being a Puritan man in a society that scorned the ways of witches and the devil, Young Goodman Brown grew up with a very pious outlook on life. Yet when it occurs to him to look at life a little bit differently, Young Goodman Brown receives more than he has bargained for. The journey he embarks on sheds a whole new light on his society that not only creates a struggle between himself and his fellow men but also one within himself.
Then there is Faith, Young Goodman Brown's wife, who also has a name that reflects who she truly is. She is young, like her husband. She is also a very innocent woman. The pink ribbons she wears in hair represent this. Her name also has a dual meaning throughout the story. As when Young Goodman Brown first enters the woods
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”, Goodman Brown struggles with staying pure and not giving in to the devil. Hawthorne utilizes allegory and ambiguity to leave unanswered questions for the reader.
Brown to continue down the path with him, but Goodman Brown declares that he kept his meeting with the devil and no longer wishes to continue on. He says, “ ‘My father never went into the woods on such an errand, nor his father before him. We have been a race of honest men and good Christians’ ” (312). The devil is quick to point out,
Freud, S., & Strachey, J. (19621960). The Ego and the Super-ego. The ego and the id (pp. 19-20). New York: Norton.
It is surprising, in a way, to discover how few of the many critics who have discussed "Young Goodman Brown'' agree on any aspect of the work except that it is an excellent short story. D. M. McKeithan says that its theme is "sin and its blighting effects." Richard H. Fogle observes, "Hawthorne the artist refuses to limit himself to a single and doctrinaire conclusion, proceeding instead by indirection,'' implying, presumably, that it is inartistic to say something which can be clearly understood by the readers. Gordon and Tate assert, "Hawthorne is dealing with his favorite theme: the unhappiness which the human heart suffers as a result of its innate depravity." Austin Warren says, ''His point is the devastating effect of moral scepticism." Almost all critics agree, however, that Young Goodman Brown lost his faith. Their conclusions are based, perhaps, upon the statement, "My Faith is gone!" made by Brown when he recognizes his wife's voice and ribbon. I should like to examine the story once more to show that Young Goodman Brown did not lose his faith at all. In fact, not only did he retain his faith, but during his horrible experience he actually discovered the full and frightening significance of his faith.
McCabe, Michael E. “The Consequences of Puritan Depravity and Distrust as Historical Context for Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”.”
The Devil in Young Goodman Brown is an allegorical symbol representing the evil that is within the nature of the human race. When Young Goodman Brown describes the Devil it is not as an inhuman beast but someone who looks rather familiar, and could almost pass for Young Goodman Brown’s father. When the Devil appears to Goodman Brown he is “bearing a considerable resemblance to [Goodman Brown]” (Hawthorne 342). So much so that “they might have been mistaken for father and son” (342). The first important detail of the Devil's appearance is that he is apparently human. There is nothing to fear from the appearance of a human, if the Devil had looked like a demon it would have bred fear but appearing as a human creates a sense of familiarity. The
...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.