The Theme Of Intention Vs. Action In Young Goodman Brown

Intentions vs Actions in Romanticism Literature If a man, mustering the all his hatred, attacks and kills another man, who is revealed to be a murderer, is the action wrong? Many people would say yes, but a similarly large number would say no. Comparing the intention of an action to the action itself is often a grey ground, with the action usually being the deciding factor. However, in the past, this seemed to be in reverse. The Scarlet Letter, Young Goodman Brown, and The Devil and Tom Walker demonstrate that people of the time valued the intention of an action above the result of an action. The pieces of literature found in the Romanticism period show that the people of the time valued intention over action. The story of Young Goodman Brown, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, demonstrate such an attitude. Young Goodman Brown follows the adventure of the titular character, Goodman Brown, and he and his companion travel into dreary woods and discover the truth of the humble town the man lives in. However, the whole story has hints that it is all a dream; it is up to the reader to decide if these clues are red herrings or not. Goodman’s reaction to many characters in the short story demonstrate the idea of holding intention over action. …show more content…
Faith, as her name would imply, is presented as Goodman’s hope and happiness. He becomes depressed throughout the journey, and repeatedly remarks how much he loves her, such as when he says: “‘ Well then, to end matters at once,” said Goodman Brown, considerably nettled, ‘there is my wife, Faith (Hawthorne).” Yet later in the story, Faith is seen attending the witch trials, but with an unclear motive. To reflect on the theme, Faith is the only one who does not feel Goodman’s full resentment, as opposed to the rest of the