Alienation and Moral Dilemma
Alienation and Moral Dilemma as Portrayed by Nathaniel HawthorneNathaniel Hawthorn was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804 during Puritan times. He created many stories that reflect his life experiences growing up as a Puritan. He writes stories that end with a moral that was learned through the struggles of the characters. These characters are almost always faced with a dilemma where they must choose what is right versus what is wrong. Another common theme in his writing is alienation. I will explore these concepts through the analytical analysis of the stories "Young Goodman Brown," "The Minister's Black Veil," and "The Birth Mark." These stories are all about a life altering decision one must face and the consequences of that decision.The story, "Young Goodman Brown," is about a man named Goodman Brown who must leave his wife Faith to go on a fateful journey - a journey whose reason is left to speculation. He must go into the local forest, refuse the temptations of the devil, and return to the village before sunrise. He embarks on this journey and returns a changed man for the evils he encountered made him lose his faith in the community around him. The decision or struggle that Brown i
A scientist named Aylmer believes that the crimson birthmark on his wife Georgiana's cheek is symbolic of an evil his wife possesses. It is obvious that this man is representative of the Devil who Goodman Brown so obviously fears and wants to avoid. The veil is placed over his face to make the people of the congregation realize that no one is perfect and that everyone sins. This can be seen when Hawthorne writes "it caused children to flee when he approached because he would not remove the veil even for one moment. Aylmer was only concerned with the part of the world that he could physically change. This is the man that he was looking for. This can be seen in their first interaction. 'There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. He does not know what is real or what is right and decides to shut the world out - trusting no one. they carved no hopeful verse upon his tombstone; for his dying hour was gloom. The man is full of pride and afraid to reveal his sins. He leans upon a rock and awakens in the morning, not sure if the events of the night before were real or a dream. He is obsessed with this flaw and feels he must rid her of it to fully accept her. 'My Faith is gone!' cried he, after one stupefied moment.
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