Good And Evil In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

Words: 849
Pages: 4
Open Document
“Young Goodman Brown" is the story of a young Puritan man drawn into an agreement with the Devil. “Young Goodman Brown” Newlywed, leaving Salem village at the sunset for the close forest, where he apparently has an appointment. Therefore, he promises to his wife, Faith, that he will return the next day in the morning. Confused by Brown’s odd behavior and mysterious errand, Faith fails to convince him to remain at home, or at least to delay his journey until the following morning. Criticizing her for doubting his purposes, Brown nevertheless seems conscience-stricken about his own motivations. He vows to be true to Faith and to their religion. Consequently, Brown's illusions about the spiritual faith of his society is vanished when he finds out that many of his fellow townspeople, including religious leaders and his wife, are attending a Black Mass. The story is not clear whether Brown's experience was nightmare or reality, however the results are the same. Brown is incapable to forgive his wife due to the fact that she pacts with the devil. Goodman life turns to a nightmare since he discovered the true about the possibility of evil in his loved ones. His wife can only hope that this experience, …show more content…
Goodman did not loss his faith, he still believe in his own moral. As a result, he lost faith on people surrounding him. Goodman Brown's own lack of faith on people has made him unforgiving because he believes only evil can be created from evil and there is nothing that can be done to change it. However, he not seeing the good in people and their actions and pardoning their sins. Goodman Brown believes people to be hypocrites. Actually, it is Goodman Brown who is the hypocrite because he believes he can pass judgment on those who sin, yet he does not take his own sins into
Show More

Related Documents: Good And Evil In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

Good Vs. Evil In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Young Goodman Brown”, the author uses his strong faith in God to tell a story about the struggle between good versus evil and how it can change your view about people and the world we live in. The story begins with him speaking to his wife, Faith, before leaving on a journey to the black mass. "And Faith, as the wife was aptly named, thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons of her cap". The name of his wife is…

Words 621 - Pages 3

Symbolism And Imagery In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

can have evil hidden inside of them. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown, Goodman Brown discovers that many of the people he trusts are secretly evil. He begins to lose his faith in humanity and no longer sees anyone as righteous. Hawthorne’s use of symbolism and imagery causes Goodman Brown to lose faith in humanity due to his new realization of evil in society. Hawthorne uses symbolism in both Young Goodman Brown and Faith’s names. Goodman Brown starts the story as a young, good man. Goodman…

Words 541 - Pages 3

Immigration: Nathaniel Hawthorne Essays

Jose Torres Instructor Cox ENGL 1302 13 November 2013 Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”: Good vs. Evil Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the most astounding writers of early American short fiction. This author “also wrote some of the finest short fiction in American literature” (Werlock, par. 1). One of his famous short stories is called “Young Goodman Brown”. This story first appeared in print in 1835 (Ellis, par. 28). The story takes place in the Puritan time period in the seventeenth…

Words 1803 - Pages 8

Compare And Contrast Young Goodman Brown And The Minister's Black Veil

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short stories “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Minister’s Black Veil” there is an overarching motif of unpardonable sin. Hawthorne, born in Salem Massachusetts in 1804, was born into a struggling Puritan family in which he had never met his father, who died when he was a young boy. The tragedies and hurdles he faced as a child created the vivid imagination and overall grim and unpleasant mood that is present in his writing. Although these stories have very distinctive plots…

Words 1798 - Pages 8

Essay Hawthorne's Strong Symbolism

Hawthorne’s Strong Symbolism Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman Brown” is about a man that sets off on a journey to test his religious faith and to discover himself. Hawthorne uses many different types of symbolism in this story to describe Mr. Brown’s journey. First, he uses it to describe the forest, which seems to take on life -like characteristics. Another way he uses symbolism is the word Faith, which is his wife’s name, and describes his love for her, along with his actual religious…

Words 921 - Pages 4

Character Comparison of “Young Goodman Brown” and the “Lottery” Essay

Character Comparison of “Young Goodman Brown” and the “Lottery” . Mathew Speakman English 102 Professor Katie Robinson July 15, 2012 Thesis Statement: In Nathaniel Hawthorne's “Young Goodman Brown” and Shirley Jackson's “The Lottery”, we are given a picture of seemingly normal people who are capable of incredible evil. Outline: Opening mood in both stories a. Goodman Brown's sets out on a walk in the forest, but knows that evil awaits him. b. The…

Words 989 - Pages 4

My Kinsman, Major Molineux: Questions On America

What did Goodman Brown mean by “Faith kept me back a while”? Include both the literal and figurative meanings. He means that his faith in God and family will keep him from death. His wife Faith is the reason he turns around and he will lose her if he continues on his journey through the woods. 5. How might “Young Goodman Brown” be a demonstration of how Hawthorne might have felt about his own ancestors? Hawthorne uses the story of Young Goodman Brown to describe how you question…

Words 829 - Pages 4

Accepting Faith In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

Hawthorne’s story of ‘Young Goodman Brown’ centres around a young married man living in a strict puritanical society who, on the eve of Halloween, leaves Faith, his aptly named wife, and ventures into the forest where he meets up with the devil. The text recounts Goodman Brown’s journey to and from sin, and the unintended consequences and insights it engendered. Interpreting this story at face-value, it appears to be a simple allegory regarding the importance of not giving up ones’ faith though…

Words 900 - Pages 4

Young Goodman Brown And The Tell Tale Heart

“Young Goodman Brown,” by Hawthorne, and “The Tell Tale Heart,” by Poe, offer readers the chance to embark on figurative and literal journeys, through our minds and our hearts. Hawthorne is interested in developing a sense of guilt in his story, an allegory warning against losing one’s faith. The point of view and the shift in point of view are symbolic of the darkening, increasingly isolated heart of the main character, Goodman Brown, an everyman figure in an everyman tale. Poe, however, is concerned…

Words 2577 - Pages 11

Sympathy For The Devil Analysis

Man being evil is expressed in both “Sympathy for the Devil” by The Rolling Stones and “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathanial Hawthorne. “Young Goodman Brown” was a short story written in 1835, during the time of the Salem Witch Trial. “Sympathy for the Devil” was a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the song is a radiant critique of human nature, and the inherent cruelty that Jagger appears to signify in all of mankind. The short story “Young Goodman Brown” references to the three…

Words 443 - Pages 2