Young Goodman Brown Senior Paper

This senior paper focuses on the moral themes, characterizations, literary devices, cultural and historical context, and narrative structure of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown." Hawthorne’s history plays an important role in Young Goodman Brown. Hawthorne’s Puritan history creates the perfect setting for the story of this moral inquisition. The pursuit of knowledge is examined within the context of the Salem Witch Trials. Goodman Brown's journey into the forest exposes him to the complexities of human nature, as he grapples with themes of innocence lost and the struggle between good and evil. It presents the readers with intriguing, thought-provoking questions as to the ambiguity of morality and mankind's place in nature. Through

By skillfully weaving together themes, characters, and literary devices, Hawthorne crafts a captivating narrative that challenges readers to contemplate the eternal conflict between righteousness and temptation. This conclusion was drawn from an in-depth read into Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown and the assistance of analytical works pertaining to this specific topic.

Keywords: Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Young Goodman Brown,” Puritanism, The Salem Witch Trials.

Senior Paper: Literary Analysis of “Young Goodman Brown” Does seeking knowledge make one evil, sinful? Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, Young Goodman Brown follows the compounding wiles of human nature. The challenging plight of good and evil is brought into question through the pursuit of sinful knowledge. This story was written in 1835. It was a dark time in human history known as the Salem Witch Trials. The story reflects Hawthorne’s Puritan history through Goodman Brown’s journey through the forest and his meeting with the devil. In “Young Goodman Brown”, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author skillfully weaves themes, characters, and literary devices within a cultural and historical

“So saying, he threw it down at her feet, where, perhaps, it assumed life, being one of the rods which its owner had formerly lent to the Egyptian magi.” (Hawthorne, 1835). Hawthorne nods to the Book of Exodus in tying in the allusion towards religion. As the themes question the innate actions of man, so too does the use of allegory enhance the effects of such questions. Hawthorne’s personal history is reflected in his short story Young Goodman Brown. Hawthorne’s Puritan history shapes the characters in a way that reflects the moral rigidity and religious hypocrisy prevalent in Puritan society. Through their actions and beliefs, Hawthorne highlights the tension between outward piety and inner corruption, providing insight into the complexities of human nature and the consequences of living under strict moral codes. “I helped your grandfather, the constable, when he lashed the Quaker woman so smartly through the streets of Salem. And it was I that brought your father a pitch-pine knot, kindled at my own hearth, to set fire to an Indian village, in King Phillip's War." (Horvat, 2021). The. Hawthorne’s Puritan history parallels Goodman Brown’s. Brown’s