Literary Analysis of Young Goodman Brown

Marissa Ross Engl-162 22 March 2016

 Nathaniel Hawthorne is known for interest he has in the Puritan faith and how he incorporates that into his stories. !oung !oung "ood#an $rown% is a perfect e&a#ple of this' for the characters Puritan (alues pla) a huge role to the stories #eaning. *he first ti#e reading through !oung "ood#an $rown% it is unclear what #essage Nathaniel Hawthorne is tr)ing to get across to us. +fter reading it again' and deepl) anal),ing it' we can conclude that there are a couple different #aor and #inor the#es to e discussed. !oung "ood#an $rown% teaches us lessons aout too high of e&pectations' lea(ing our faith' and udging people too harshl). *he #ain character $rown is a Puritan #an who li(es a#ongst a Puritan co##unit). Puritans (alue things such as honest)' co##unit)' co##unit)' #arriage' and "od. $rown/s decision to aandon these (alues to walk with the e(il alread) set hi# ack. $oth #entall) and ph)sicall) $rown walks awa) fro# his faith. Ph)sicall)' $rown lea(es his aith ) walking awa) fro# his wife' whose na#e is aith. Mentall)' $rown lea(es his faith the #inute he #akes this decision and elie(es his sin of the night will ha(e no lasting effect. +s sa)ing good)e to aith- oth literall) and #etaphoricall)- his wife sa)s and #a) )ou find all well' when )ou co#e ack%.  ack%. *his is a foreshadow of $rowns downfall and loss of faith. $rown is e&tre#el) arrogant' elie(ing he can lea(e his (alues and faith ust once and still e accepted into hea(en. Puritans elie(ed that onl) "od knew who would e accepted into hea(en' and that e(en the purist of people #a) e rotten underneath. $rown thought that his sin filled night would ha(e no effect on hi# going to hea(en' ecause his wife aith would e going there. $rown states' and after this one night' /ll cling to her skirts and follow her to hea(en.%'

as if he will still e ale to hold onto faith after this night. $rown lea(es e(er)thing he knows when he enters the woods' including his co##unit) (alues' and this will certainl) lead to #adness. Hawthorne elie(es in the i#portance of co ##unit)' and that co##unit) gi(es us order and coherence. 3hen lea(ing to go #eet the de(il' $rown is lea(ing his co##unit)' and is clearl) lost. 4ur eliefs' (alues' and #orals ste# fro# our co##unit)-our friends and fa#ilies. f )ou lea(e that support s)ste#' it will e hard to find )our wa) ack. *hings will ne(er e the sa#e. *he night in the woods with the e(il is unknown to e a drea# or not' ut the outco#e was ine(itale. f this e(ent was real' it #eans $rown #ade the personal choice to go into the forest and actuall) li(ed the sin. f it was all a drea#' the idea of this sin was within rowns head and a clear indication of his dark side. Essentiall)' Hawthorne is telling us that it is i#possile to lea(e )our faith and return the sa#e person. *he life $rown li(es following his walk in the forest shows the life awaiting if one elie(es the) are in(incile to e(il and sin. deali,ing his fa#il) and co##unit) was another contriution to $rowns downfall' and another e(ident the#e in !oung "ood#an $rown%. $eginning with his good)e to aith' $rown alread) shows his lack of good husand #orals. aith asks $rown to put off his trip and sleep in his own ed that night. *his is another foreshadow' indicating he would e sleeping in another ed- #a)e with the de(il. $rown ignores this plead fro# his wife' knowing what h e is lea(ing her for. Puritans elie(ed that open honest) etween spouses was i#portant' and was a sign of true lo(e. aith openl) confesses to $rown that she herself has een ha(ing scar) and sinful thoughts. +n) sinful act or thought is wrong to Puritans' and aith is scared of her own thoughts. E(en after hearing this confessed sin' $rown looks at his wife as perfect. +ll $rown thinks of aiths confession is that she #ight/(e figured out where h is trip was taking hi#' and

how he did not want her to know. +s he goes off on a ourne) with the de(il' he e&pects his wife to e at ho#e pra)ing' and that wa) her good faith will e enough for oth of the#. He refers to her as a lessed angel on earth%' ut did he e(en listen to her plea for help5 aith is dehu#ani,ed ) $rown' which later in the stor) will contriute to his downfall. Hawthorne is telling us that ideali,ing wo#en as pure and perfect is not lo(e' ut denial. Hawthorne shows the i#portance of reali,ing the hu#an in all people. $rown lacked understanding of hu#an co#ple&it). 3hen the truth is re(ealed to $rown aout his fa#il) and friends' he was so fi&ated on the idea that the) were all pure' honest' perfect people that it co#pletel) reaks his trust with the#. *his includes knowing e(er)one #akes #istakes' and nood) is perfect. E&pecting perfection out of e(er)one is ust a design for failure' and $rown  eco#es suect to that. Earl) in his acuaintance with the e(il' $rown learns the truth aout his own fa#il). *he de(il tells $rown he knows not onl) hi#' ut his father' and his father/s father- e&pressing that the) too ha(e sinned. +fter eing taken to the ritual' and seeing his whole co##unit) partaking in a de#onic ritual' $rown/s whole (iew on his co##unit) is altered. His thoughts aout the# were all so high and perfected' that the truth of the# ha(ing sinned efore too nudges $rown into isolation and hatred. *his rings #e to the last the#e' which is that eing unaccepting of others i#perfections will lead to #iser) and loneliness. $rown has what is called dichoto#ous thinking' which #eans he elie(es things can onl) e one wa) or another7 lack or white. He categori,ed e(er)one as  eing lack or white' rather than seeing e(er)one as rown8 Hawthorne #a) or #a) not ha(e  purposel) na#ed this character $rown' ut the iron) of it is that he is $rown and is unale to reali,e e(er)one else is too. Nood) is all good or all ad' e(er)one has their flaws and strengths. $rown failed hi#self and his co##unit) when he dec ided to udge the# all' instead of 

accepting the#. 3hile in the act of sinning' $rown is shown the truth which is that e(er)one sins. *he i#age of his whole co##unit) taking part in the ritual in the woods sickened $rown. He returns to his life #ore arrogant and s#ug than efore' thinking he is ao(e e(er)one else. +t the end of the stor)' aith atte#pts to welco#e $rown ack fro# his ourne)' and $rown turned down the greeting. *his )et again shows how $rown was unale to go ack to his aith as he did  efore. *his stor) shows us' the readers' that )ou ha(e to understand others' as well as taking responsiilit) for )ourself. $rown udged e(er)one else #ore harshl) than he udged hi#self ) recogni,ing their sins with failure to recogni,e his own. 3hat $rown does is called proection la#ing others for his own downfall or failures. $rown shuns all (illagers ecause he elie(es he is the onl) true puritan left. $rown is guilt)' and therefore proects his own sins onto others to #ake hi# feel etter. *he truth is that e(er)od) sins' and the est wa) to approach sinning is to help those o(erco#e their sins' and allow others to help )ou o(erco#e )ours. $rowns perception of hu#ans is distorted' and etween that and his denial of his own flaws' his life eco#es lonel) and #iserale. *here are so #an) lessons that !oung "ood#an $rown% teaches its readers. *he o(erall #oral of the stor) is to sta) true to )our faith and )our (alues or )our life with take a turn. $rown was doo#ed fro# the eginning. *he #istakes he #ade as a husand' a citi,en and as a puritan lead to his o(erall destruction. Hawthorne warns us aout the repercussions of li(ing a life like $rown did. $eing unaccepting of others #istakes' and in denial aout )our own will #ake )ou  itter. 9ea(ing )our faith and )our co##unit) will lea(e )ou lost. +nd lastl)' udging people to harshl) will #ake )ou lonel).