The Theme Of Evil In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines evil as “morally bad; causing harm or injury to someone; marked by bad luck or bad events”. Christians believe the devil is the symbol of evil. The Bible says “And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). In literature, evil is usually portrayed as a devilish creature, usually bearing the color black as if it was made out of the shadows. In “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Goodman Brown takes a journey into the forest and afterwards is determined the citizens of his village are evil. He defines them as evil by their appearance. This is the

Goodman Brown used to be spiritual and friendly man until a “dream” showed him the ways of evil in the town of Salem. He now resides in his house, scared of the outside world that he was shown. In many ways, this can tie into the modern world today. Whether it’s Americans living in fear of terrorism, or a town that might be filled with evil psychotics, it can be agreed that fear is a dark theme to be taken on. Hawthorne delivers a fearsome and terrifying tale that shows the outside world is not just gingerbread houses and football. “Fear doesn 't shut you down; it wakes you up” (Veronica Roth). Goodman Brown’s life forever changed the moment he left the house that night. His Faith desperately tried pulling him back into the safe atonement of his home, but Goodman Brown refused. His Faith could not keep him from going out into the real world, for the world was waiting for him. He knew he had to take this journey, whether or not he knew what was coming or not. What he got was a wake-up call to the real world. The world lives in fear. Hawthorne’s short story tells the tale of a man who is only now opening his eyes for the first time, just as the world