Good And Evil In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

Nathaniel Hawthorne: A name well known to historians and students alike. Most people recognize the name but do not truly know the man behind the name. Nathaniel Hawthorne was a writer who was not like those popular during his time. Finding his passion for writing at an early age, Hawthorne went on to display his scorn for his ancestral past and confront the ideals of transcendentalism.
Born on July 4, 1804 to Nathaniel and Elizabeth Clark Hathorne in Salem, Massachusetts, Hawthorne had a tensed childhood. In 1808, Hawthorne's father died of yellow fever while at sea. With little to no money, the family moved in with Elizabeth's wealthy brothers. At the age of nine, Hawthorne suffered a leg injury that left him immobile for about three years and it is at this time
When Hawthorne first began writing, he had the air of a transcendentalist. But after some time, he began to stray away from the aspect of transcendentalism and soon, his writings even displayed a sort of disdain for the movement. Hawthorne soon found himself immersed in the dark romanticism movement. Dark Romanticism was a new style in literature and Hawthorne was amongst one of the first authors within the growing genre. This style of writing is prominent in his story Young Goodman Brown. Published in 1835, Young Goodman Brown presents the struggle between good and evil and the concept of original sin. The story was one that dealt with how evil could be presented and perceived. The story also displayed Hawthorne's Puritan background and one could infer Hawthorne's disdain for this link. In 1850, Hawthorne published The Scarlet Letter. The story was another way that Hawthorne presented his disdain and criticism of the Puritans and their beliefs. The Scarlet Letter quickly became Hawthorne's most well known literary work and sold a few thousand copies upon being published. People were instantly intrigued with the novel and Hawthorne became a well-known