“Young Goodman Brown” – the Style
Sculley Bradley, Richmond Croom Beatty and E. Hudson Long in “The Social Criticism of a Public Man” state: “Beyond his remarkable sense of the past, which gives a genuine ring to the historical reconstructions, beyond his precise and simple style, which is in the great tradition of familiar narrative, the principal appeal of his work is in the quality of its allegory” (49). The style found in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” contains the features quoted in the above passage, as well as many others – which will be discussed in this essay.
The “precise” style mentioned by Bradley above may be the “detailed” style stated by Clarice Swisher in “Nathaniel Hawthorne: a Biography”; she says: “In his journal – a kind of artist’s sketchbook – he recorded twenty-five thousand words describing people and places in detail” based on two brief visits (18). The author’s attention to detail may be the reason that every word seems to be meaningful in his sentences. Can you discard any words from the opening sentence without sacrificing some meaning: “Young Goodman Brown came forth at sunset, into the street of Salem village, but put his head back, after crossing the threshold, to exchange a parting kiss with his young wife.”
The reader can notice right away that Hawthorne writes in a well-read and cultivated style, avoiding the use of profanity, vulgar language, or words offensive to the ear. Consider his precise word selection from an enormous vocabulary:
They continued to walk onward, while the elder traveller exhorted his companion to make good speed and persevere in the path, discoursing so aptly, that his arguments seemed rather to spring up in the bosom of his auditor, than to be suggested by himself. As they went, he plucked a branch of maple, to serve for a walking-stick, and began to strip it of the twigs and little boughs, which were wet with evening dew
Even the most emotional outburst in the entire story does not contain any language remotely displeasing or uncultivated: "’Ha! ha! ha!’ roared Goodman Brown, when the wind laughed at him. "Let us hear which will laugh loudest! Think not to frighten me with your deviltry! Come witch, come wizard, come Indian powow, come devil himself! and here comes Goodman Brown. You may as well fear him as he fear you!’"
Sullivan, Wilson. “Nathaniel Hawthorne.” In New England Men of Letters. New York: Macmillan Co., 1972.
The United States Mission to the European Union. 1999. "EU Committee Accepts Two Labeling Proposals For Biotech Food." http://www.useu.be
"TheFood Timeline: history notes--Colonial America and 17th & 18th century France." TheFood Timeline: history notes--Colonial America and 17th & 18th century France. http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodcolonial.html (accessed April 1, 2014).
“Lead me not into temptation. I can find the way myself,” Rita Mae Brown once remarked. Temptation is all around, no matter where one might be, there is no use in going out and looking for it. For some individuals, the enticement is so strong that it has caused them to break away from the ties that once bound them to their upbringing, such as faith, but for others, it has brought them even closer to their faith. There is no questioning whether or not one would be strong enough to deny the temptation in order to remain pure, but, rather one’s faith is strong enough to go through the test that has been taking place since the very beginning when Adam and Eve were tempted in the Garden of Eden. Tone and symbolism throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne’s
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown." The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000. 268-276.
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.
In 1835, Nathaniel Hawthorne published the tale of “Young Goodman Brown,” a tale that illustrates many configurations of symbolism used to leave the reader planting the pieces together through his characteristics of detail and imagery. Hawthorne’s prime analogy expressed throughout this tale is the loss of vulnerability and pureness when reaching maturity.
Hawthorne creates a serious and somber tone throughout much of the story. From the start, the audience gets a sense that Brown will go through relentless agony from the devilish stranger. His diction in the opening paragraphs is a good indicator of this. He uses words such as “melancholy”, “evil”, “dreary”, and “grave” to evoke a certain mood in the reader. There is little relief from this seriousness that would suggest that Hawthorne’s attitude about the story be hopeful. Brown’s attitude and actions portray a negative view of Salem and its people. He ponders the hypocrisy of the town as well as that of the Puritans. He examines the possibility that evil and corruption exist in a town that is supposedly characterized by piety and devout faith.
... and can only be dictated by the “invisible hand” of the market. Regarding monopolies, an important component of Smith’s interpretation of the free market is a variety of competition. When a part of the market becomes monopolized, it prevents the market from achieving its full earnings potential. Smith’s critique of monopolies is in the section of his work where he also critiques mercantilism. When discussing the mercantile enterprises European nations had with their colonies in the Americas, Smith shows why monopolies are not beneficial since “it is thus that the single advantage which the monopoly procures to a single order of men, is in many different ways hurtful to the general interest of the country” (311). What Smith is claiming is that in order to create wealth, a nation’s economic activities much be allowed to operate freely and with all markets possible.
Hawthorne’s love for literature blossomed at the age of seven when he was unexpectedly injured. Because of this injury, he was bed ridden for fifteen months, thus leading him into the path of literary works. He even began to believe that if a person read a lot, he or she would write well (Meltzer). This belief was proven to be true and even helped him in creating his own unique style of wri...
Lathrop, G. P., ed. "Hawthorne, Nathaniel." The Reader's Encyclopedia of American Literature. Binghamton, New York: Vail-Ballou, 1962. 439-40. Print.
George, Jennifer M. "Chapter 12." Contemporary Management. By Gareth R. Jones 8e ed.N.p.: n.p., n.d. 366-400. Print.
In the article “Native Americans” Warren Skye, Robert Schore, and Rachel Levenson state “Traditionally, AI/AN believed all illness was caused by demoniacal interference, malignant spirits, sorcery, or failure to perform an important ritual” (Skye et al). Today that belief is gone. Native Americans now have a modern view about illnesses and medicine. In Bonnie Duran, Margaret Sanders, Betty Skipper, Howard Waitzkin, Lorraine Halinka Malcoa, Susan Paine, and Joel Yager article “Prevalence and Correlates of Mental Disorders Among Native American Women in Primary Care” they state “Available evidence suggests that mental illness, mental dysfunction, or self-destructive behavior affects approximately 21% of the total AIAN population, costing an estimated $1.07 billion and causing incalculable human suffering” (Duran et al, 71). In reservations there are n...
Kuemmerle, Tobias. “Predicting potential European bison habitat across its former range” Ecological Applications. April 2011 vol. 21. pg 830-835. JSTOR. Web. March 30, 2014
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.