Young Goodman Brown Analyzing Browns Identity - 1190 Words

In the short story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† Nathaniel Hawthorne sets the locale of the story during the Salem witch trials at his convenience to include the Calvinist theme of sin, that belief in which formed the early history of New England’s social and spiritual identity. As a dark romantic, Hawthorne includes the elements of human nature, mysticism, good and evil, and one’s own spirituality to convey his message to the reader. However, it is left to the reader’s own digression to interpret his ambiguous conclusions. At the beginning of the short story, Brown finds himself on a journey to the enchanted forest outside of his village for a mysterious appointment. Unknowingly, Brown is traveling into the heart of darkness in which he will be†¦show more content†¦Brown has been changed completely and he isn’t the same person who walked into the forest the day before at dusk. As Reginald Cook asserted, â€Å"the fearful dream has done its work.† Brown experienced a terrible thing by traveling into his subconscious mind while in the dark forest and as a result he has become a skeptical and miserable man. For a better understanding of what is happening to Brown the reader should be aware of the symbolism used throughout the story. First, his wife Faith represents the faith of mankind in which she directs the way to heaven. Second, Brown’s journey into the dark forest represents his journey into the innermost depths of his soul; third, the devil represents Brown’s experience as he comes to believe that evil is the true nature of humanity (Walsh). These three symbols implicate the narration of the story in which Brown is a young man who is innocent in the ways of conformity in the world, who finds that not all human beings are good. As a result, he cannot remove the uncertainty of universal evil from his conscious mind. Faith signifies the faith of which Brown holds as he slowly hesitates the goodness of humanity. As he physically leaves his wife Faith in the beginning of the story, this represents his own loss of his spirituality and can be tracked throughout the events i n theShow MoreRelated Structure of Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay example1216 Words   |  5 PagesStructure of â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†Ã‚  Ã‚         â€Å"Almost all literary theorists since Aristotle have emphasized the importance of structure, conceived in diverse ways, in analyzing a work of literature† (Abrams 300). This essay will explore some interesting points in the structure of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† considering the time-frame, foreshadowing, suspenseful incidents, climax and denouement (Axelrod 337).    The narrative in this tale is straightforward until the narratorRead More Symbolism in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay example2781 Words   |  12 PagesIn Nathaniel Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown the use of symbols contributes to the development of the storys plot. Symbolism is used as a means to uncover the truth about the characters. The author, in an attempt to manifest the moral aspects of his society, uses many kinds of symbols to support his points. When analyzing an allegory like Young Goodman Brown, the reader must realize that the story is in its entirety, a symbol. Hawthorne, through his writing is trying to convey the contradictingRead MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 Pageschance and coincidence occur in real life, their use in literature becomes suspect if they seem to be merely an artificial device for arranging events or imposing a resolution. Such events tend to mar or even destroy a plot’s plausibility and unity. Analyzing Plot In approaching a work of fiction for the first time, we can analyze the plot by attempting to answer such questions as the following: 1. What is the conflict (or conflicts) on which the plot turns? Is it external, internal or a combination