Young Goodman Brown- theme
I n the story "Young Goodman Brown", Nathaniel Hawthorne reveals a inner conflict of a man's faith in religion and knowledge of mankind's indiscretions with sin. The story takes place in the 17th century in Salem, Massachusetts towards the end of the puritan era. Hawthorne uses allegories and other symbols to help emphasis the story's theme. The main character Goodman Brown symbolizes an everyday good man. His wife named Faith symbolizes Goodman Brown's faith in his religion. Faith is described as wearing a pink ribbon representing innocents and purity. The characters Goody Cloyse, the minister and Deacon Gookin are important symbolically because not only are these people that Goodman Brown looks up to for guidance in his spiritual journey of his Puritan faith but to Goodman Brown they also represent people who he believes to possess complete faith and the inability to be swayed by the devil. . Hawthorne uses some history of the Puritan faith to help the reader to have a better understanding of the story. The Puritans believed that the forest at night was evil and that those who enter must be also be evil. The story begins with Goodman Brown saying goodbye to his Faith (wife). "My love and my Faith, of all nights in the year,
This is important because evil has many forms and the resemblance of this companion symbolizes an everyday good man. Goodman Brown meets up with his companion. Hawthorne slips the idea that perhaps Goodman Brown was dreaming of that awful night in the woods. "What if the devil himself should be at my very elbow!" says Goodman Brown to himself. Goodman Brown seems to be outraged by this newfound knowledge and is in complete denial "I marvel they never spoke of these matters; or, verily, I marvel not, seeing that the least rumor of the sort would have driven them from New England. " The companion enlightens Goodman Brown that he has walked along this path with members of Goodman Brown's own family and considered them to be friends. It would probably lessen the mysterious of the story and it's characters, and may also limit the interpretation of the individual readers. "That can hardly be, I may not spare you my arm, Goody Cloyse; but here is my staff, if you will. this one night must I tarry away from thee? My journey, as thou callest it, forth and back again, must be done 'twixt now and sunrise. Goodman Brown decides at this point that he has gone too far and wants to turn back. " After hearing this, Goodman Brown feels faint and overburdened with the heavy sickness of his heart. Hawthorne was very effective in this way because like the Bible it can have many interpretations for many different people based on their beliefs.
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