An Analysis of Theme in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown...

Nathaniel Hawthorne, in his short story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† details the frailty of human morality when he has 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 demonstrates that an idealistic faith in our fellow man’s righteousness could lead to disappointment, distrust, and fear. Nathaniel Hawthorne, like many writers, uses his stories to illustrate or criticize moral principles, and while it would be nice if†¦show more content†¦The strictness of Puritan society makes an image of purity (especially for those in positions of authority) necessary for its citizens to be acceptable and to rise through the Puritan social strata, and it is this need for an image of purity that undoes Goodman Brown’s initiation from a spiritually immature, idealistic faith to a spiritually mature faith. As a child in Puritan society, Goodman Brown would be given little chance to sin but would have seen those who are punished for their sins and (obviously) wondered what the attraction is that made those people sin even when being caught devastated their lives and sullied their reputations for the rest of their lives. This curiosity is what drove Goodman Brown to make a deal with Satan to guide him through the forest to where a witches’ Sabbath was being held on All Hollows Eve. It was during this journey that Goodman Brown saw or heard several of the people he admired the most also traveling to the witches’ Sabbath. After arriving at the meadow where the witches’ Sabbath is being held, Goodman Brown sees many other righteous Puritans that he knows (of all social classes) communing with sinners, Indian priests, and witches; with Satan himself leading the services. When Satan calls for converts to come forth, Goodman Brown surrenders to temptation and comes before the alter where he finds himself face-to-face with his bride of three months, about to be baptized into Satan’s church. Realizing the terrible mistakeShow MoreRelated Ambiguity in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay1743 Words   |  7 PagesAmbiguity in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚         There is no end to the ambiguity in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†; this essay hopes to explore this problem.    Peter Conn in â€Å"Finding a Voice in an New Nation† makes a statement regarding Hawthorne’s ambiguity:      Almost all of Hawthorne’s finest stories are remote in time or place. The glare of contemporary reality immobillized his imagination. He required shadows and half-light, and he sought a nervous equilibriumRead MoreYoung Goodman Brown964 Words   |  4 PagesOne: Reader-Response Criticism Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is a short story in which the author attempts to convey several different messages or themes throughout the literary piece. 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To the stories like â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† are still being reviewed and criticized by those who study his work, including those thatRead MoreAnalysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s `` Young Goodman Brown `` And `` The Yellow Wallpaper ``2005 Words   |  9 Pagesthe themes they write on serve as something along the lines of â€Å"moral purifiers† of their time, illustrating their intent for a change in their respective eras and cultures. In three particular short stories, namely Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, â€Å"A New England Nun† by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, and lastly Charlotte Gilman’ s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†, each individual author speaks out against the established norms of their time in search for moral change. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short