Theme Of Young Goodman Brown - 1021 Words

In a world filled with evil, deceit, and turmoil, everyone is capable of sinning. Humans are by nature sinners and susceptible to evil since the fall of Adam and Eve. The short story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† by Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts the theme of hypocrisy in the Puritan society and fall into temptation as the protagonist, Young Goodman Brown ventures out into the dark woods to join an evil ceremony. As a faithful, pious Puritan, Goodman Brown is easily swayed into the darkness of the woods which illustrates the corruptibility of the Puritan society and human nature to sin. Through symbolic names, allegorical meaning of the journey, and the dark, secret setting of the devilish commencement, Hawthorne clearly portrays the theme of the†¦show more content†¦In the beginning of his journey, Goodman refuses to hold the serpentine staff of the old man to guide him through his journey, but after witnessing trusted, pious townspeople heading towards the devilish ritual and hearing his wife’s voice, â€Å"Goodman grasps his staff and sets forth again at such a rate that he seemed to fly along the forest path rather than to walk or run...rushing onward with the instinct that guides mortal man to evil† (323). This shows that Goodman was easily tempted to follow the devil and betray his faith because he saw everyone else being tempted. As he held onto the serpentine staff, he was guided fast through the path of darkness and into the devil’s abode to join the pious, religious townspeople who were not so pious. His curiosity to find the truth changes his life for the worst and disillusions him. He realizes that people are not who they seem to be and the Puritan religion is corrupt and the people following it are hypocrites. Additionally, the setting of the dark, secret communion in the town of Salem during the late 1700s evidently portrays the theme of hypocrisy in society and the fall of evil. Hawthorne, a descendent of a judge during the Salem Witch Trials, uses his knowledge of Puritan society to depict their beliefs and attitudes in a vague, dreamlike story. The puritansShow MoreRelatedYoung Goodman Brown Theme Essay785 Words   |  4 Pagesfrom innocence,† In the short story, Young Goodman Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorne shows numerous ways a young adult loses his innocence and religious upbringing simply by the allowing the influence of others to take over the truths that have been deeply rooted throughout his childhood. The main character, Young Goodman Brown, discovers that his wife, his own self and his acquaintances are, not who he thought they were on the inside. There are many themes these characters represent throughout theRead More The Theme of Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay22 78 Words   |  10 PagesThe Theme of Young Goodman Brown      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This essay intends to develop an interpretation of the theme of â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†.    To come by a clear notion of the theme of   â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is no easy task, thanks to the confusing style of the author. As A.N. Kaul says in the â€Å"Introduction† to Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays:    Because Hawthorne was much given to evasions, mystifications, and prevarications of various sorts, because he repeatedly confusesRead More The Themes in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay3172 Words   |  13 PagesThe Themes in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† the reader finds several themes. These will be discussed in this essay.    Morse Peckham in â€Å"The Development of Hawthorne’s Romanticism† explains what he interprets Hawthorne’s main theme to be:    Once the self has been redeemed from society it can be explored in its own terms, and for this purpose Hawthorne developed his peculiar use of emblematic allegory. . . . This technique,Read MoreTheme Of Honesty In Young Goodman Brown1912 Words   |  8 PagesIn the short story, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts the tale of a young Puritan man who secretly visits a mysterious individual, later revealing himself as the devil, only to realize that the people he saw as pure and virtuous were already allied with the sin he feared so deeply. Although the encounter was revealed to be a mere dream, Goodman Brown’s outlook on life was altered completely, depicting the weakness of public morality as well as how societal pressures lead to suchRead MoreAn Analysis of Theme in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essays860 Words   |  4 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne, in his short story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† details the frailty of human morality when he ha s the story’s protagonist (Goodman Brown) journey through the forest on All Hollows Eve to witness/participate in a witches’ Sabbath just to see what evil/sin is all about. During Young Goodman Brown’s journey, his faith is shaken as he witnesses those he respects the most also journeying to and participating in the witch’s Sabbath. In â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† Nathaniel Hawthorne demonstratesRead MoreEssay about Theme of Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown3036 Words   |  13 Pagesâ€Å"Young Goodman Brown† –   Theme  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚   The themes in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† are not as obvious as might be expected. This essay intends to present an interpretation of the tale along the lines of theme.    In reading Hawthorne’s tales, Herman Melville in â€Å"Hawthorne and His Mosses† (in Literary World, August 17, 24, 1850) makes discoveries relevant to the themes:    Where Hawthorne is known, he seems to be deemed a pleasant writer, with a pleasant styleRead MoreTheme Of Young Goodman Brown And The Cask Of Amontillado740 Words   |  3 Pages â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† by Nathaniel Hawthorne and â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† by Edgar Allen Poe have surplus amounts of irony that animate both short stories. Demented felonious antagonists and clueless protagonists cause the stories to seem similar. Montresor, a cunning and licentious human from â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† and caring Goodman from â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† persistently use verbal irony, nevertheless, the irony is unique to each story. In â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†Read MoreTheme Of Young Goodman Brown And The Cask Of Amontillado970 Words   |  4 Pagesmysterious, and one of the ways that Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe compliment and counteract this goal in their works â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† and â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†, respectively, is with irony. Their masterful use of irony engages the reader in the work and invites them to consider the story and the characters’ intentions. The irony presented in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† by Nathaniel Hawthorne and â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† by Edgar Allan Poe allows us to understand the emotions of the charactersRead MoreTheme Of Young Goodman Brown And The Man In The Black Suit1075 Words   |  5 PagesThe depictions of the Devil in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† and Stephen King’s â€Å"The Man in The Black Suit† include differences to the character that convey the numerous ways evil can affect the innocence and morality of people. Their appearance and motivations dictate the success their evil intentions have on the character and lives of the protagonists. The physical manifestation of both devils mirrors the different strategies they utilized to manipulate the protagonists’ destructionRead MoreComparison of Themes in In The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† by Nathaniel Hawthorne 596 Words   |  3 PagesGame† by Richard Connell and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† by Nathaniel Hawthorne both stories have very different themes. Brown is a man that has followed the right path all his life suddenly is challenged to face temptaion and ending all his curosity. He decides to go into the forest to face the devil. In Richard Connells short story he centers his theme around how far peoople will go when they fear for their life, people will do anything to survive. I. Young Goodman Brown A. The weakness of public