Critical Analysis Of Young Goodman Brown Essay

, Research Paper

Critical Analysis of Young Goodman Brown

Nathaniel Hawthorne s short narrative of Young Goodman Brown is a contemplation of the Puritan religion every bit good as adult male s struggle between good and evil. This analysis will stress on the subject of Young Goodman Brown every bit good Hawthorne s use of symbolism and fables throughout the narrative.

Literary critic D.M. McKeithan says that the subject of the narrative is sin and the awful consequence wickedness has on world. McKeithan besides believes that the subject to Hawthorne s ; Young Goodman Brown, is based on the ability that evil has to carry adult male to make incorrect and the falsity of adult male s virtuousnesss. The supporter in the narrative, Brown, journeyed in the forests where he discovered that his Puritan community is non virtuous. Brown discovered that the full community including his married woman, whom is portrayed as being pure, indulges in wickedness and hence Brown s life turns dark due to his loss of hope. Literary critic Mark Van Doren provinces:

Young Goodman Brown means precisely what it says, viz. that its hero left his pretty immature married woman one eventide to walk by himself in a crude New England forests, the Devil s district, and either to dream or really to see ( Hawthorne will non state ) the find that evil exist in every human bosom Brown is changed. He thinks there is no good on Earth Brown, waking from his dream, if it was a dream, sees evil even where it is non He had stumbled upon that enigma of wickedness which, justly understood, provides the lone sane and cheerful position of life there is. Understand in Brown s manner, if darkens and sours the universe, shriveling hope and charity, and corrupting whatever is genuinely good until it looks like immorality at its worst: like blasphemy and lip service. ( Van Doren 234 )

McKeithan says that Hawthorne is stating that in every human bosom there is wickedness, but the narrative does non stress on wickedness entirely, it emphasizes on the effects of wickedness. McKeithan states that to construe Young Goodman Brown, the reader must do the differentiation between wickedness and the effects of wickedness.

Literary critic David Levin says that Brown allows the Devil s statements about the persecution of Indians and the Quakers allows him to accept the false statements of the Devil. Therefore Brown fails to separate the difference between a individual individual and actions of people as a whole. Levin says that Hawthorne s manner of composing Young Goodman Brown gives a clear reading of the significance. Neglecting the fact that the Puritans whipped Religious society of friendss and burned Indian small towns, the reader can so detect what Brown really sees in the wood. The narrative is non about the immorality of other people but about Brown s uncertainty, his find of the possibility of cosmopolitan immorality. ( Levin 246 ) At the enchantress meeting Goodman Brown is invited to the Communion of immorality by the Devil. Brown is non certain that the meeting was world or simply a dream, and if the people of the town were really at that place. Regardless of Brown s uncertainness, the consequences of the experience leave Brown in the thick of hopelessness. Mrs. Leavis says that Young Goodman Brown became evil as a consequence of the wickedness that he believed he saw when in actuality, the immorality was non at that place at all. Hawthorne s message is far more cheerless and horrifying. The narrative is evidently an single calamity, and those who treat it as such are right, of class ; but, far beyond the personal plane, it has cosmopolitan deductions. ( Leavis 236 )

Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism throu

ghout the narrative of Young Goodman Brown. Thomas Walsh says that Hawthorne uses a treble symbolic form. The first symbol used in the narrative is Young Goodman Brown s married woman for three months, Faith. Faith represents religion in world every bit good as spiritual religion. The journey taken by Brown is symbolic to an inward journey to the deepnesss of the human bosom. Walsh says that the 3rd symbolic instrument used in the narrative is the Satan, which represents the evil side of Brown.

McKeithan says that Faith symbolizes spiritual religion, and before Brown can be wholly loyal to Faith, he must indulge in wickedness one time more. As Brown travels farther off from the physical Faith, Brown gets farther off from his religion in the goodness of world. The text states that Brown idea of Faith as a blest angel on Earth and said, After this dark I ll cleaving to her skirts and follow her to heaven. When Brown met up with the Satan he explained that he was tardily because Faith held him back awhile. As Brown continued to travel deeper into the wood, he felt ashamed of what he was making to Faith. During the journey in the forests Brown looked towards the darkened sky in uncertainty that heaven existed. The stars in the sky brightened it and Connolly says that the stars are symbolic of the swoon hope that Brown still possesses. Brown so says ; With heaven above and Faith below, I will yet stand house against the Satan. ( Hawthorne 272 ) Then a cloud, symbolic of immorality, covers the stars and Young Goodman Brown s hope. As Brown lifted up his weaponries to pray, the pink threads worn by Faith fell to the land. Connolly says that the pink threads worn by Faith, symbolizes young person and joy. When the threads fell to the land, Brown is left to believe that his Faith has failed him.

Walsh states that the 2nd symbol in, Young Goodman Brown, is Brown s journey into the forests. Brown s journey into the dark forests is said to be parallel to deepnesss of his psyche. The glooming trees and the dark way, which closed behind him as he continued on the way, symbolized what he was making. Brown was going down the way taking to loneliness and desperation. Walsh says that the trees that are shuting instantly after he passes them typify the evil shutting off his flight. Brown so realizes that his journey is in fact hopeless. The wood is related to the Satan s power that continues to turn over Young Goodman Brown s psyche. As Brown traveled deeper into the wood, a dark cloud covered the sky. The blackened cloud symbolizes Brown s psyche, which by now is tormented by immorality.

Walsh states that the 3rd major symbol in Young Goodman Brown, is the dark adult male that he meets in the wood. The dark adult male is said to stand for Brown s dark side of his psyche. The dark adult male informs Brown of the awful things that his household has done in the yesteryear, which causes him to doubt the good in adult male. Walsh provinces that:

The symbolic representation of such increasing uncertainties is in the sequence with the Satan. The Satan is Brown, male parent, and grandfather all rolled into one, the exact opposite number of Faith, Brown s heavenly side. He is Brown s darker side, which believes that immorality is the nature of adult male. ( Walsh 240 )

In decision to this critical analysis, I have used unfavorable judgment in stressing on Hawthorne s use of subject and symbolism in the narrative of Young Goodman Brown. Hawthorne used these literary tools in showing the Puritan religion and falsity in it. Harmonizing to Miller, Young Goodman Brown is a representation of all world.