James Tervort
Hicken
English 11
7 October 2015
Goodman Symbolism
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” tells the story of a man whose beliefs and faiths are or on the brink of destruction from temptation. Goodman Brown loses his belief in humanity when he discovers that the devils followers are all around us and every man has an evil spirit within himself. A different reaction would have been to accept the problems with man, and use that to get along better with others. We all sin, nobody is perfect, this is just a part of life we have to accept and deal with in a wise fashion. The main character is engulfed by this knowledge and takes a step back from life. Hawthorne uses almost every character in this story and item as a symbol to …show more content…
The forest provides the setting for most of the story. To the men and women of this town the forest was a despicable, evil, unknown territory occupied by witches and the devil. When Hawthorne describes Goodman’s life and his decisions he says, “He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest” (Hawthorne “Young Goodman Brown”). The forest represents evil and woes of the world. When Hawthorne says the forest closes in around Goodman, he is implying that it is too late for him to escape, the evil has already surrounded him. The forest’s power intensifies as he delves deeper into the forest.
The Author names his main character Young Goodman Brown to represent all people. You don’t think of much when you hear this name, he is a blank face. Goodman Brown’s name in itself is a symbol for this story. “Young” is a bit of a generic, causing the reader to think “I’m Young” and thereby connecting with the story further. Goodman means he is just ordinary “Goodman” there is nothing special about him he is just your every-day law abiding citizen. Finally, Brown is a common last name, especially back in the puritan times. All of this alludes to Young Goodman Brown representing all
Hicken
English 11
7 October 2015
Goodman Symbolism
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” tells the story of a man whose beliefs and faiths are or on the brink of destruction from temptation. Goodman Brown loses his belief in humanity when he discovers that the devils followers are all around us and every man has an evil spirit within himself. A different reaction would have been to accept the problems with man, and use that to get along better with others. We all sin, nobody is perfect, this is just a part of life we have to accept and deal with in a wise fashion. The main character is engulfed by this knowledge and takes a step back from life. Hawthorne uses almost every character in this story and item as a symbol to …show more content…
The forest provides the setting for most of the story. To the men and women of this town the forest was a despicable, evil, unknown territory occupied by witches and the devil. When Hawthorne describes Goodman’s life and his decisions he says, “He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest” (Hawthorne “Young Goodman Brown”). The forest represents evil and woes of the world. When Hawthorne says the forest closes in around Goodman, he is implying that it is too late for him to escape, the evil has already surrounded him. The forest’s power intensifies as he delves deeper into the forest.
The Author names his main character Young Goodman Brown to represent all people. You don’t think of much when you hear this name, he is a blank face. Goodman Brown’s name in itself is a symbol for this story. “Young” is a bit of a generic, causing the reader to think “I’m Young” and thereby connecting with the story further. Goodman means he is just ordinary “Goodman” there is nothing special about him he is just your every-day law abiding citizen. Finally, Brown is a common last name, especially back in the puritan times. All of this alludes to Young Goodman Brown representing all