Report

I believe that Hawthorne filled the story of Young Goodman Brown with allusions to religion because he himself was struggling with his beliefs. Writing about struggles make it appear as if it is another individual suffering, while through it all the writer is sorting out issues dear to him. He was a young man with a wife called “Faith” (1113). I know that Hebrews 11:6 states “but without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (KJV). Faith is a very important part of religious beliefs and people in general. We rarely do anything in our lives without a level of faith. Just sitting on a chair takes faith, but we don’t think of it that way. Faith is also a strength that keeps us from doing things that harm others. The Puritan “catechism” (1115) is mentioned several times and indicated that Young Goodman Brown has a firm understanding of what the Bible teaches. This catechism is a long list of questions and answers with supporting scriptures that help young believer understand and follow the doctrine of the Bible and helps them become grounded in their faith. If an individual is not grounded in their faith, the will become wayward and wonder what they really believe. Prayer is another thing I find mentioned throughout the story. Initially Brown tells his wife to “say thy prayers” (1113), then later in the night Goodman Brown “lifted his hands to pray” (1118). Additionally, he tells the devil that his family is “a people of prayer, and good works” (1115). Other mentions of prayer are important in their setting where “no…solitary Christian prayed…[in] the heathen wilderness” (1118) or “Old Deacon Gookin was at…praye...

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...in his life participating in such devilish activities. If Hawthorne feels that we have such evil within us, it would have been nice to see a better ending than the gloom of death.

8. Peers - Have you ever had a terrifying dream that you dreamt several times or over a course of several years that is still visible in your psyche? I can remember when I was young I dreamt of a large crowd of people chasing me. I was running as fast as I could and trying to scream as loud as possible but nothing would come out. Just before the crowd overtook me, I would wake up. Even though this dream repeated itself many times over the course of several years when I was a child, I still have the vivid feelings associated with it. As far as I know there was never a reason behind the dream, but I am always affected by scary horror shows or read stories like Young Goodman Brown.