Young Goodman Brown
What is a person supposed to do when those he looks up to for guidance turn out to be hypocrites and frauds? Nathaniel Hawthorne was undoubtedly scarred growing up in an environment where his father (Judge Hathorn of the Salem Witch Trials), the man he looked to for moral, spiritual, and all around parental guidance was responsible for the death's of countless people. Hawthorne conveys his anguish in his short story "Young Goodman Brown," wherein he parallels the actions of his father, and his own journey through life to the journey of Goodman Brown by utilizing countless literary symbols. Hawthorne begins his use of symbolism in the title of the story. "Young" implies two things about the character. First off young implies naive, which can be seen in the main character's initial perception of all the people in his town as good and righteous, very inhuman-like. Secondly, young implies that he is
innocent, pure from sin and from corruption. Through the symbolism, however, the reader is able to get a excellent look at Hawthorne's motives for writing the story and how closely it hits home for him. This is how Hawthorne sees himself as a young man: innocent and jaded, which is only destined to be changed through his ultimate realization of the unspoken truths in both his religion and his life. When the man offers Goodman Brown the staff, it is as if the devil is giving him a chance to exchange his soul for the devil's assistance. Again the word "young" is used to describe this character, implying that Brown's faith was still pure and innocent. This is likely a parallel to a time in Hawthorne's life when he remembers the breaking point of his faith and the loss of his innocence. Perhaps the most important part of the faith aspect of this story is as Young Goodman Brown is "about to turn the corner by the meeting-house". The most important character that Brown encounters in this story is man in the woods, an obvious representation of the devil. Through his actions he led Brown (Hawthorne) to a lonely, desolate forest where he had fend for himself and eventually come to the ultimate realization that the people he had admired and respected were sinful, flawed humans. This parallel becomes most evident when Brown finds himself at the ceremony in the woods where he sees the devil controlled the masses into tarnishing faith. The pink ribbon in her hair holds two levels of symbolism. The most interesting thing about this character is his analogous relationship to Hawthorne's father. The color pink symbolizes unconditional love. Goodman is a rather palpable allusion to the fact that he is, in fact, a "good man" The most obscure reference in the name is "Brown".
Common topics in this essay:
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Acceptance Essays
