“Young Goodman Brown” – the Structure Q. D. Leavis in “Hawthorne as Poet” mentions Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” as “essentially dramatic” : “The first batch of works I specified [including “Young Goodman Brown”] is essentially dramatic, its use of language is poetic, and it is symbolic, and richly so, as is the dramatic poet’s. . . “ (27) This essay will examine this and other features of the structure of Hawthorne’s short story. Leavis’ evaluation of
Ambiguity and Uncertainty in Young Goodman Brown 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
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s tale, “Young Goodman Brown,” is rich in symbolism, as this essay will amply illustrate. Hugo McPherson in “Hawthorne’s Use of Mythology” explains how the author’s “inner drama” may be expressed in his symbolism: The imaginative foundation of a writer’s work may well be an inner drama or ‘hidden life’ in which his deepest interests and conflicts are transformed into images or characters; and through the symbolic play of these creations, he comes to ‘know’ the meaning
“Young Goodman Brown” – The Symbolism Peter Conn in “Finding a Voice in an New Nation” states his evaluation of Hawthorne as a symbolist: He was a secularized Puritan symbolist, who recovered the dramas enacted in cases of conscience by tracing the lines that bound men and women to their motives. Concerned with individuals as specimens or types, he endowed his characters with solemnly stylized features and then studied their anxiety, or doubt, or guilt. He placed them
The Deeper Meanings of Young Goodman Brown "Young Goodman Brown," a story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, should be interpreted on a psychoanalytical level rather than a religious one. It is my observation that "Young Goodman Brown" may very well be the first published work alluding to divisions of the mind and personality theory. Although religion is a direct theme throughout the story, "Young Goodman Brown" appears to be an allegory with deeper meanings. To explore properly my position
The Symbolism of “Young Goodman Brown” Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “Young Goodman Brown,” shows the reader the author’s power as a symbolist. Frederick C. Crews in “The Logic of Compulsion in ‘Roger Malvin’s Burial’” explores the symbology that prevails in Hawthorne’s best short stories: . . . I chose this one tale to analyze because it illustrates the indispensability, and I should even say the priority, of understanding the literal psychological dramas
The Curious Style of “Young Goodman Brown” The multi-faceted style found in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” has many features of interest. It is the intent of this essay to elaborate on these features, with support from literary critics where available. Herman Melville in “Hawthorne and His Mosses,” (in The Literary World August 17, 24, 1850) has a noteworthy comment on Hawthorne’s style: Nathaniel Hawthorne is a man, as yet, almost utterly
The Style in “Young Goodman Brown” Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story or tale, “Young Goodman Brown,” is an interesting example of the multi-faceted style of the author, which will be discussed in this essay. Edgar Allan Poe in “Twice-Told Tales - A Review,” which appeared in Graham's Magazine in May, 1842, comments on Hawthorne’s “originality,” and “tranquil and subdued manner” which characterize his style: The Essays of Hawthorne have much of the character
literature is the external expression of the author's unconscious mind. Therefore, we must treat the work of literature as a dream, then reveal hidden motivations and repressed desires by applying psychoanalytic techniques. In the story "Young Goodman Brown," by Nathaniel Hawthorne, I will explore the use of symbols and repressed images by the author that are conveyed throughout the story. To understand better the approach of psychoanalytic criticism, we must first define a general concept of
The two American short stories, “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin and “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne both portrays a similar theme. The two protagonists in both short stories suffer mental or emotional torture and was trap in a literary cage. In addition, both characters in the stories meet death in the end, and that death symbolizes their freedom from the world and society that was grasping on to them. A main topic of American short stories that constantly shows up since the earlier