Nathaniel Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay -- Young Goodman Brown

Nathaniel Hawthornes materialisation Good existence embrown Nathaniel Hawthornes story Young Goodman brown portrays the growth of Young Goodman Brown through vivid symbolic telescope. Young Goodman Brown is an allegory in which the setting is very important to the theme of the story. Throughout the narration, detailed setting and emblematic characters surround Goodman Brown. Goodman Brown is an Everyman character, which could be any wizard of us, struggling with his Puritan heritage, more specifically his spiritual faith. The setting is first introduced during a conversation between Goodman and his wife Faith which is symbolic of his struggle with his spiritual faith throughout the story. Standing in the doorway of his own home he turns to sojourn his wife, who encourages him to stay at home with her, the first expression in the story of his internal conflict with his faith. Walking away from his wife, he begins to question himself in several ways. Why is he leaving? What is he longing for? Where exactly is he going? Poor little Faith Thought he, for his heart smote him. What a wretch am I to leave her on such an errand (391) Without knowing the exact answer to any of the questions he enters the woods, dark and dreary, which Hawthorne uses to express the sense of evil. To escort the significance of the setting you have to understand the background of the Puritan culture which Hawthorne doesnt state but expects the reader to know. Puritans live their lives for God. They believe everyone and everything is evil and one must live his life so to not unleash this inborn sin. Throughout the story, Goodman struggles with his own image of faith. Just as any young bighearted may step back and question their initial upbringing, he too, questions his forefathers. He doesnt want to become who they were, the common feeling among younger generations. Brown could be any one of us who as we mature begin to discover flaws in our families and acquaintances we knew not exis ted. Continuing down his path in the woods he runs across a man in grave and decent attire. The word grave suggests the danger and seriousness of the journey. Soon the author persuades us that this man represents the devil in Goodmans struggle with his beliefs. The man is willing to lead Goodman deep into the forest, or in other words, deep into sin. The man even addresses Brown telling him... ... himself from the generations before he cannot completely separate himself from his parents faith and culture without losing his own identity. Hawthorne displays vivid setting throughout Young Goodman Brown to help him deal with the insecurities concerning not only his character but also his own forefathers and his own faith. The setting in Young Goodman Brown is critical to sense the internal struggle for maturation of the main character. From Faith his wife, his journey through the dark and lonely yet demon- populated woods, supernatural happenings, Hawthorne takes his readers on an adv enture fill with symbolic setting. To fully appreciate and understand Young Goodman Brown one must recognize with and pull out the expression of allegory Hawthorne uses to fulfill the crotchet in young maturing minds. Goodman Brown could be any of us, struggling with the inconsistencies in our own lives, and the unknown journeys we will venture to take while trying to organize our own identities of self and mature into functioning adults in our society. Works CitedHawthorne, Nathaniel. Young Goodmam Brown, The Story and Its Writer, 4th ed. Ed. Ann Charters. Boston