The Brown s A Forest, And The Devil ! - 1742 Words

The Brown’s, A Forest, and The Devil! Oh My Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† tells a tale of when man, who is supposedly good in nature, faces temptation and evil head on. The story, much like the tale of Adam Eve, is an allegory for the evil and selfishness of mankind; for young Goodman Brown s fight with his inner temptations and his outward struggle with the devil himself represents mankind s lost encounter within the battle of good and evil. Though it is not clear whether the events in the forest are real or not, the duplicity of the characters and surrounding objects suggest Hawthorne s true purpose is to expose the evil in all mankind, even in faith or a good man. Hawthorne goes as far to make Faith a literal person and a†¦show more content†¦Brown has clearly met the Devil before as he is late for their reunion, suggesting that they had previously been in contact to set a meeting. Despite meeting the devil more than once his naà ¯vetà © allows him to assume wrongly that he can turn back at any point and return to faith without consequence. Starting the tale Goodman may have been true to his name, but as depicted the further he wanders into the heart of the devil’s territory the more he parallels his own beginning character. This further illustrates the author s point that all men are corrupted, as even a good man can be tricked and wooed by the Devil himself. Goodman is in denial of this throughout the beginning half of the story though he does finally realize when he feels a â€Å"loathful brotherhood by the sympathy of all that was wicked in his heart† (Hawthorne, 8), as even the character now realizes that all mankind have been tempted by and followed the devil. He hates what he knows now as truth, that despite thinking he was pure in heart he now knew that he was connected more than ever to evil. Additionally there is a more obvious analogy that mankind is inherently evil: the Devil bears â€Å"a considerable resemblance to him [Goodman]† ( Hawthorne, 2); the biggest hint thatShow MoreRelatedNathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown Essay1274 Words   |  6 PagesIn Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† the devil says, â€Å"Evil is the nature of mankind† (â€Å"Young† 627). Since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and attempted to hide conceal their sin from God, humans have tried to hide their sin from others. Although everyone sin is human nature, everyone has a different reaction to sin. While some acknowledge sin, others ignore it. In Hawthorne’s other short story, â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil,† Father Hooper wears a black veil to represent the sin heRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown1312 Words   |  6 PagesWithin Nathaniel Hawthorne s short story Young Goodman Brown (p.317), Young Goodman Brown travels through a dark and mysterious forest late at night. Ignoring the pleas of his pure wife Faith, he ventures deep into the woods with many dangers around him, only to emerge in the morning a changed man with bewildered views on his own Puritan life and the Puritan community around him. At the cause for this change in mindset, the dream of an old man symbolizing the devil appears, showing him the communityRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown Essay1449 Words   |  6 Pages â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is a short story that is filled with symbols and mystery. Nathaniel Hawthorne provides plenty forms of symbolism for readers to digest. 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Brown journey takes him really deep into the heart of the forest where he had encounters with his advisor on her way to a congregation, high ranking religious leaders from the village, and the devil. The devil is attempting to lure the reluctant Goodman Brown to the congregationRead MoreThe Curse Of A Vivid Dream915 Words   |  4 Pagesshadow. In the story Young Goodman Brown was once a great man. Now he sees everyone as a sinful and bitter person, how did this come to be? It all began one night when Young Goodman Brown had a dream that changed his life forever. In his dream he saw his wife and the good people of his town attend a Witches’ Sabbath. This changes Young Goodman Brown`s perception of reality and how he perceives everyone around him to be devil w orshippers. The changes Young Goodman Brown goes through mentally, affect hisRead MoreThe Hero s Journey Is Theory By Joseph Campbell925 Words   |  4 Pagesshadow. In the story Young Goodman Brown was once a great man. 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The characters Hawthorne chooses have some relation to either the trials or the Christian way of life. Back in the middle 1900s, the society relied heavily