Symbolism And Religion In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown
Megan Miller
English 102
Dr. Brewer
Research Paper/Final Draft
March 2, 2014
Symbolism and Religion in “Young Goodman Brown”
Hawthorne starts our setting off by placing Goodman Brown leaving for a journey, even when Faith begs him to stay. You can distinguish the irony is the story from the beginning, a newly wed that isn’t able to keep her husband by her side when that is when two people are usually wrapped up in each other. In this story Maher says, “This story overflows with symbolism, and there is intentionally not a great deal of subtlety in these symbols”. Vaillancourt points out, by the name Hawthorne gives him,” The word Goodman Brown when taken apart, is ‘Good-man’ and brings the thoughts of a moral, responsible person”. …show more content…
He sees Goody, his teacher, along with the deacon of his church. It is at this time that he realizes that everyone he has looked up to, as far as his faith, is not pure at all, but simply a sinner in disguise. He sees how they have befriended the devil over time and have accepted his offers in their lives. When they speak to each other, Goodman Brown describes them as if they know each other’s secrets, and are fine being secret sinners. Brown illustrates this event for us as a “witch meeting”, he hides in the bushes and is very careful not to be seen or heard. He starts to feel extreme guilt, but at the same time sides with the devil. After he’s seen such things, what makes him any better than those townspeople, or fellow church goers that he associates with on a daily …show more content…
He used many symbols such as, Faiths’ pink ribbons, the devil disguised as an old man, along with the meeting of the people at the witch meeting in the woods. The devil shows these things to Goodman Brown which ultimately destroys his psyche, and makes him give up on his faith. Hawthorne wanted those symbols to represent for his readers how things truly are in religion. He points out clearly how most religious people are “closet sinners”, they live a life only trying to one-up one another. Vaillancourt enforces the symbols Hawthorne used in saying, “The idea that man constantly faces an inner battle between good and evil and that is much easier to stray away from the path of good that it is to stay on it.” Hawthorne depicts things how they really are, that things are never what they seem. He uses these symbols to describe to the reader the spiritual test, and battles all people must face in their
English 102
Dr. Brewer
Research Paper/Final Draft
March 2, 2014
Symbolism and Religion in “Young Goodman Brown”
Hawthorne starts our setting off by placing Goodman Brown leaving for a journey, even when Faith begs him to stay. You can distinguish the irony is the story from the beginning, a newly wed that isn’t able to keep her husband by her side when that is when two people are usually wrapped up in each other. In this story Maher says, “This story overflows with symbolism, and there is intentionally not a great deal of subtlety in these symbols”. Vaillancourt points out, by the name Hawthorne gives him,” The word Goodman Brown when taken apart, is ‘Good-man’ and brings the thoughts of a moral, responsible person”. …show more content…
He sees Goody, his teacher, along with the deacon of his church. It is at this time that he realizes that everyone he has looked up to, as far as his faith, is not pure at all, but simply a sinner in disguise. He sees how they have befriended the devil over time and have accepted his offers in their lives. When they speak to each other, Goodman Brown describes them as if they know each other’s secrets, and are fine being secret sinners. Brown illustrates this event for us as a “witch meeting”, he hides in the bushes and is very careful not to be seen or heard. He starts to feel extreme guilt, but at the same time sides with the devil. After he’s seen such things, what makes him any better than those townspeople, or fellow church goers that he associates with on a daily …show more content…
He used many symbols such as, Faiths’ pink ribbons, the devil disguised as an old man, along with the meeting of the people at the witch meeting in the woods. The devil shows these things to Goodman Brown which ultimately destroys his psyche, and makes him give up on his faith. Hawthorne wanted those symbols to represent for his readers how things truly are in religion. He points out clearly how most religious people are “closet sinners”, they live a life only trying to one-up one another. Vaillancourt enforces the symbols Hawthorne used in saying, “The idea that man constantly faces an inner battle between good and evil and that is much easier to stray away from the path of good that it is to stay on it.” Hawthorne depicts things how they really are, that things are never what they seem. He uses these symbols to describe to the reader the spiritual test, and battles all people must face in their