Nathaniel Hawthorne's Life

902 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Critical commentary on young goodman brown

Nathaniel Hawthorne was an extraordinary writer, who used real life experiences in every one of his stories. However, growing up in a Puritan society during a reformation gave Hawthorne a distorted view on God’s character. Hawthorne was intelligent, but by no means a people person, which created a pathway for him to become an author. There were a few key points in his life growing in a religion zealous society that lead him to abandon his faith. Hence, the short story of “Young Goodman Brown” representing that humans are cynical and evil, and the dangers of losing your faith in God.
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in the year 1804 in the heart of Salem, Massachusetts, where to Salem witch trials were conducted. Hawthorne was born in an unforgiving time period, where life revolved around religion and family. Hawthorne’s father died of Yellow Fever in the year 1808. Nathaniel grew up fatherless, which had a lasting effect on who he later became to be. Education at the time was centered on reading and writing, with a heavy religious influence. “The education of the next generation was important to further "purify" the church and perfect social living” (Kizer). However, since his father passed away, there was no other man to instill the Puritan beliefs into young Nathaniel. Hawthorne later on was able to see the culture through a different lens than the people surrounding him, which made him slightly opposed to the Puritan way of life. He became intellectually rebellious; not thinking in the same way that his peers or family was.
There was a catalytic event that occurred throughout the mid-1700s to the early 1800s, known as the Second Great Awakening. This event was the slow reformation of Puritan doctrine which lead to new denominations...

... middle of paper ...

...g Nathaniel questions, and he was looking in the wrong places to find answers, which lead to him losing his faith. His life experiences and ideas were incorporated into his writing, such as “Young Goodman Brown”. His ancestry lead him to believe that even the people of God are evil people at heart. The short story of “Young Goodman Brown” is representing that humans are cynical and evil, and the event of losing your faith in God. If only he had more of an open mind to see that people make mistakes and are not perfect, then he might have never lost his faith.

Works Cited

Kizer, Kay. "Puritans." Www3.nd.edu. University of Norte Dame, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
"Nathaniel Hawthorne - Biography." Nathaniel Hawthorne. The European Graduate School, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
Kennedy, Professor. "Wandering Mind." Wandering Mind RSS. Sakridge, 4 Feb. 2012. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allen Poe, and Walt Whitman's Works

    3621 Words  | 8 Pages

    Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, the descendent of a long line of Puritan ancestors, including John Hathorne, a presiding magistrate in the Salem witch trials. After his father was lost at sea when he was only four, his mother became overly protective and pushed him toward more isolated pursuits. Hawthorne's childhood left him overly shy and bookish, and molded his life as a writer. Hawthorne is one of the most modern of writers who rounds off the puritan cycle in American writing

    Read More

  • Allegorical Analysis of Faith in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown"

    580 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Faith," whether symbolic of the Puritans or Goodman Brown's faith in God, is the most allegorically intricate character in "Young Goodman Brown," even more so than Goodman Brown himself. Hawthorne was extremely effective at portraying the evil-nature of humans as well as the hypocrisy of the Puritan lifestyle in his story. Even after almost 165 years, he is able to touch the hearts of his readers with his graphic reality. That, undoubtedly, is what makes "Young Goodman Brown" a truly proficient short story.

    Read More

  • Losing Faith in Young Goodman Brown

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “Young Goodman Brown,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Goodman Brown is tempted by the evil that surrounds him and he must keep his faith in order to resist it. The use of the events, characters, and symbols throughout the story show that evil is present in the people of the town in which Goodman Brown lives and how Goodman Brown’s faith in them is lost. Humanity is basically flawed and people struggle with making the choice between good and evil.

    Read More

  • Young Goodman Brown

    1024 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • What Is The Choice Of Faith In Young Goodman Brown

    1033 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel Young Goodman Brown, first published in 1832, the character Faith embodies many things to her husband, including God and the idea of female purity or innocence that pervaded society at the time, which may still exist to a degree today. The idea of “having faith in God” in Christianity and the wife of Goodman Brown, who Hawthorne intentionally names Faith, serve as an entertaining and thought-provoking play on words in the novel. Throughout this dark tale, Goodman Brown is tempted by the devil to leave his faith, or his religion, while his wife Faith, who he believes to be an innocent woman devoid of evil thoughts, is ironically tempted by the Devil herself. Goodman Brown

    Read More

  • Symbolism in Young Goodman Brown

    1464 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nathaniel Hawthorne’s "Young Goodman Brown" is a dark story written in the form of an allegory. In the story, Brown believed his community was true in their devotion to God. Additionally, Brown believed he had a strong Puritan faith. However, the journey we were taken on, through the dark gloomy woods of Salem, in time, showed the reader that Brown was not as strong in his faith as he thought himself to be. Moreover, the respectable people of the town were not who Brown assumed them to be. Brown was confronted with temptation, in which he would have several chances to turn back, but his curiosity eventually got the best of him. "Young Goodman Brown" is a story representing people being confronted with everyday temptations. Nathaniel Hawthorne used setting, internal conflict and symbolism to describe the struggle between Brown’s feeling of uncertainty and the evil trying to pull him in.

    Read More

  • Young Goodman Brown

    1044 Words  | 3 Pages

    The main theme of the Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, “ Young Goodman Brown,” is the struggle between Goodman Brown’s faith, power to resist his own evil impulses and his own doubts within him. It is a story of Young Goodman Brown’s personal conflict over his inner desires and its greater meaning conflict between good and evil in the world. The characteristics of Young Goodman Brown are similar to the life of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nathaniel Hawthorne had his own doubts about his own Puritan life and beliefs. There are numerous examples in this story whereby Hawthorne clearly demonstrates to the reader Goodman Brown’s personal internal conflict between good and evil.

    Read More

  • The Use of Color Symbolism by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    To begin to understand the mind of Nathaniel Hawthorne you must first know a little about the magnificent man. Nathaniel Hawthorn was born in Salem Massachusetts during the time of the Salem witch trials. His father and grandfather took an active role in these trials. His interest in the parallel between sin and evil is very evident in the tale of “Young Goodman Brown”. Nathaniel Hawthorne is said to be first American writer who was conscience of the failure of mankind. “Young Goodman Brown” is said to be the one of the best works of Nathaniel Hawthorne. The use of his vivid symbolism and implanting his Puritan beliefs made the tale not only one of love but of disappointment in mankind as well. “Few of Hawthorne’s tales have elicited a wider range of interpretations than “Young Goodman Brown.” (Press)

    Read More

  • Young Goodman Brown Analysis

    1247 Words  | 3 Pages

    The account of Young Goodman Brown is a fictional story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This is about a young gentleman who looks at the world at an exterior point of view, not knowing the fundamental problems in his surroundings. This tale describes the obstacles we face in our day to day lives. One can say that Hawthorne has effectively retained his readers’ undivided attention, yet communicated to them a valuable lesson in this story. In the beginning, Young Goodman Brown was a much acquitted young man. He was the type of individual who saw the good in everyone and, in turn, never recognized the bad. One could admit that Goodman Brown was very guarded from the evils of the world. That was until he was exposed to great evil all in one night. Basically, Brown realized that all that he thought he knew about the people in his life were merely shadows of what they truly are. Everyone that he looked up to turned out to be evil, thus leaving him dismayed. Even though it is not clear if the events that occurred were real or a dream, but from that night on, Young Goodman Brown never trusted anyone ever again.

    Read More

  • Goodman Brown Perception

    1085 Words  | 3 Pages

    In "Young Goodman Brown", Nathaniel Hawthorne makes visible the perception we have of what is chaste and amoral by showing Goodman Brown that the people perceived as being the most holy are just as guilty of immoral thoughts. The naming of Goodman Brown is that it could be anyone that has to face these moral issues between good and evil. It is an everyday occurrence for us to want to test the waters of evil. The story is a reflection of existence, being that each has a path to take and decisions to make. Young Goodman Brown decides to venture forth into the realm of unknown by a yearning unknown to him. He meets up with a traveling companion who is an elderly reflection. He caries a staff of serpent life symbolizing evil. Along the path, Goodman Brown sees people he identifies with divine happenings. His conviction in humanity is shattered. He begins to converge his thoughts to heaven, for the strength to see through this masquerade of earthly surroundings.

    Read More

  • Faith in Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

    1120 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nathaniel Hawthorne’s allegorical story “Young Goodman Brown” is set in Salem, Massachusetts during the late sixteen hundreds in a time of religious hysteria and only a few generations after the infamous witch trials. Although "Young Goodman Brown" is a fictional tale, it is based on the cynical environment of Salem during this time period. The short story is filled with many literary elements, leading you to question what did exactly happen to the main character at the conclusion. When analyzing a story like "Young Goodman Brown", one must recognize that the story is at whole symbolic. In the text, symbols are used to uncover the truth of the characters. The role of Faith as both a character and a spiritual element are crucial to both the story and the character of Young Goodman Brown.

    Read More

  • Destination Gloom

    877 Words  | 2 Pages

    From the moment we enter this world we start a life long journey finding answers to life's hardest questions. Each of us deal with both similar, and very different questions that cause us to make decisions in what we believe. Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Young Goodman Brown" depicts a man who on his own journey discovers the devilry within people. Unfortunately he never realizes that within people there is both good and bad, he chooses to believe that all people are evil. Young Goodman Brown is an example of what can happen to someone who loses faith, because without faith in mankind we will live our lives in gloom.

    Read More

  • Nathaniel Hawthorne Influence On American Culture

    373 Words  | 1 Pages

    Taking an even further step back in time, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s culture was also very evident through his writing. To discuss his culture though, his familial background must be touched on. Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts, the home of the Salem Witch Trials. His family had many ties with these trials and also with the Puritan religion itself. Hawthorne recalled that “the most memorable aspect of his powerful forefathers was their sternness and their penchant for persecution." (Sterling) Because of this involvement and Hawthorne’s recollection of his family’s demeanor, he took a great interest in reading about the history of the Puritan religion. Upon his research, Hawthorne discovered aspects of the religion that he didn’t see just,

    Read More

  • Nathaniel Hawthorne's Puritan Legacy

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. He was the only son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Clark Hathorne and he had two sisters. Nathaniel’s father was a sea captain who died of yellow fever at sea in 1808. With the death of his father, his family was left with poor financial support so they moved in with his wealthy uncles. He was left immobile for several months due to a leg injury and that is where he gained his love for reading and writing. His uncles sent him to Bowdoin College from 1821-1825 where he met and became friends with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and future 1853 president Franklin Pierce. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s life was full of Puritan legacy. An ancestor, William Hathorne, came to America from England

    Read More

  • Philosophical Ending In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

    380 Words  | 1 Pages

    Nathaniel Hawthorne provides a highly philosophical ending to his short story, “Young Goodman Brown.” The ending is meant to exemplify that there are truths to this world in which one can’t avoid or deny. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses great use of literary elements in order to support the ending to the theme. The ending of “Young Goodman Brown,” commences when Goodman Brown arises from his slump questioning if the events in his encounter with the devil was merely a dream. Moreover, he then had become more observant and aware of that which is sinful in his town. This is authenticated as Hawthorne states, “...if not a desperate man did he become from the night of that fearful dream. On the Sabbath-Day when the congregation were sing a holy psalm,

    Read More

More about Nathaniel Hawthorne's Life

Open Document