Essay on Faith in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown - 710 Words

Faith in Young Goodman Brown For those who have not studied the Puritans or their beliefs, Nathaniel Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown is not much more than a story of lost (or maybe just confused) faith. Hawthone, a man of puritan descent, had some oppositions to the ideals that Puritans followed. Some of these ideals are discussed in his Young Goodman Brown. The basic impression that most people have of Puritans describes them as dour, irascible, self-righteous, hypocritical people who hated sex, joy, and life. They dressed in black, they hated nature, they burned witches, and they repressed all natural desires,. This is the view that influences most people when Puritans appear in literature. We see†¦show more content†¦What if the Devil himself should be at my very elbow! (p 376) These are, obviously, the blatant examples of puritan silliness. For the less obvious (though not by that much), we must look at the (stereotypical) Puritan beliefs and how they were viewed by the rest of the world. Many people found that, especially with the mythical horrid-ness of the Salem witch-trails, Puritan ideology was not a god thing. There was a great deal of dislike for the religious fervor that was once described as exemplary. Hawthorne shows this in the description of his devil in Young Goodman Brown. ...the second traveler was...apparently in the same rank of life as Goodman Brown... (p 376). Hawthorne describes the Devil in the image of a puritan: the dress is the same, the overall appearance the same, the speech the same. Yet it is the devil being described. Hawthorne is showing a disdain for the Puritan thought. Hawthorne writes of the Goodman leaving his faith (or Faith, if you will). When analsised in comparison to the stereotypical Puritan beliefs, the faith (Faith) is not necessarily a good one to begin with. The pink ribbon in her hair is a beacon that shines in the dark. The stereotypical puritan would not allow the sinful joy of colors in his life. Pink in a world of black, white and (if you were really daring) grey is obvious. Faith (both) is flawed. To better phrase that: Faith is not flawed. It is what Goodman Brown sees as hisShow MoreRelated Faith in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay1105 Words   |  5 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne’s allegorical story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is set in Salem, Massachusetts during the late sixteen hundreds in a time of religious hysteria and only a few generations after the infamous witch trials. Although Young Goodman Brown is a fictional tale, it is based on the cynical environment of Salem during this time period . The short story is filled with many literary elements, leading you to question what did exactly happen to the main character at the conclusion. When analyzingRead More Essay on the Test of Faith in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown776 Words   |  4 Pages Young Goodman Brown:nbsp; A Test of Faith The story Young Goodman Brown is about a man and his faith in himself, his wife, and the community they reside in. Goodman Brown must venture on a journey into the local forest, refuse the temptations of the devil, and return to the village before sunrise. The time era is approximately a generation after the time of the witch trials. Goodman Browns struggle between good and evil is a struggle he does not think he can face. He reiterates his false confidenceRead More Essay on Loss of Faith in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown874 Words   |  4 Pages Young Goodman Brown:nbsp; Loss of Faith nbsp; Faith can be defined, as a firm belief in something for which there is no proof. Young Goodman Brown is about a man who leaves his wife, Faith, at home alone for a night while he takes a walk down the road of temptation with the devil. Along the road he sees many people that he would never expect to see on this road, his wife included. He returns to his life in Salem a changed man. In Young Goodman Brown Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolismRead MoreEssay on Loss of Faith in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown1058 Words   |  5 PagesLoss of Faith in Young Goodman Brown      Ã‚   In the Bible, God commands Moses to go up Mount Sinai to receive divine instruction.  Ã‚  Ã‚   When he comes back, his people, the Israelites, have gone crazy.   They have forgotten Moses, and forgotten their God.   They form their own god, a golden calf, and build an altar.   They even had a festival for the golden calf.   Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and sat down to indulge in revelry (Exodus 32:6).   Moses then went down the mountain and got soRead MoreEssay on Faith Role in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown600 Words   |  3 PagesFaith plays a major role in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†. From the start of his journey to his arrival back home, Faith is always in the back of head, making him question his surroundings and own thoughts. It’s hard to determine when he’s speaking of his lovely wife Faith or his Faith in his God and religion. Through his many Young Goodman Brown’s journey begins with his departure from Faith, for he must â€Å"tarry away from thee.† (Nathaniel Hawthorne 1289) Could itRead MoreFiction Essay - Young Goodman Brown and the Lottery1051 Words   |  5 PagesFICTION ESSAY WRITING STYLE USED: APA OUTLINE I. THESIS: A thorough analysis of Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† and Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† reveals that different literary elements, such as tone and setting, are used to convey the characters’ arrival at dark, sinister places. II. INTRODUCTION III. SHIRLEY JACKSON’S â€Å"THE LOTTERY† A. Setting the tone: Peaceful and relaxing B. Irony: Even though the mood is relaxing, there is a premonition of something bad toRead MoreThe Dichotomy of Self Reliance and Conformity1169 Words   |  5 Pages This was the Romanticism Period. An incredible number of miraculous masterpieces were contrived during this period of enlightenment, including Nathaniel Hawthorne’s dramatically thematic and ambiguous short story, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, as well as Ralph Waldo Emerson’s intriguingly influential and uplifting essay, â€Å"Self-Reliance†. Hawthorne’s writing aspires to implicate theories and themes about the reality of the world we live in and to illustrate our individual limitations through the art ofRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown1492 Words   |  6 PagesIn Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story of Young Goodman Brown, the author uses symbolism and allegories in order to showcase the Puritan faith as well as man’s conflict between good and evil. This analysis will breakdown the techniques that the author uses to critique the puritan society, and to show the difference between how people appear to be in society and the true colors that they are hidden inside of them. There has been a lot of great authors in our time, but none more interesting than NathanielRead More 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 MoreShort Story Analysis: Young Goodman Brown Essay1115 Words   |  5 Pagesmore intriguing than Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne’s ability to weave stories through the use of complex language and early puritan society narratives has long been a topic of study amongst scholars and young adults, alike. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† explores the idea of good vs. evil and draws many parallels to the life of Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is often debated whether man is born innately good or evil. In â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† it is possible to see Hawthorne’s stance on this. However, before delving