In Salem, Massachusetts 1692, a group of young girls claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several women in the village of witchcraft. These first accusations sparked a several month hysteria over witchcraft in the village, resulting in the accusation of over one hundred and fifty men, women, and children of devil worship. The events in Salem were inspiration for Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story Young Goodman Brown, published almost two hundred years later. The short story follows the journey of Young Goodman Brown as he embarks on a night of devil worship before he settles into the Puritan lifestyle that his village leads, a town where, “We are a people of prayer, and good works to boot, and abide no such wickedness” (pg). It quickly
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“God bless you!” says Faith, “Amen,” replies Goodman Brown, immediately solidifying the couple’s strong faith in their Puritan religion. Analyzing Young Goodman Brown’s name; however, gives insight a deeper into the depths of his being without taking his actions into account. Taking the main character’s name literally, Young Goodman Brown refers to a young innocent man in the community who has not yet been offered grace to be saved. However, further analysis of his name reveals that Goodman Brown may not be as pure as he originally seems. The word “goodman,” can be used in Scottish culture as another name for the devil, indicating that Goodman Brown’s name represents both a good man in a Colonial community as well as an evil entity. This coupled with Goodman Brown’s last name, a mixture between light and dark, shows the ambiguity of Young Goodman Brown’s name. As the story progresses, Goodman Brown becomes increasingly tempted by the dark side of human nature; however, ultimately his good being ultimately prevails as he, “looks up to heaven, and resists the wicked one” …show more content…
Goodman Brown treats in almost a childlike manner instructing her to, “Say thy prayers, dear Faith, and go to bed at dusk, and no harm will come to thee,” (pg) and her appearance supports her innocence through the pink ribbons tied in her cap. Faith’s pink ribbons, being a mixture between white and red, serve as a dual symbol of both purity and passion through the color that they posses. Her husband’s idea of her is the epitome of pure, “She is a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night I will cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven” (pg). His idea of her is shattered later in the story with her loss of the ribbons as she flies over Goodman Brown on his journey; indicative of her complete surrender to the ways of the devil from her unsaved ways. With her loss of the ribbon comes Goodman Brown’s cry, “My Faith is gone! There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name”
“God bless you!” says Faith, “Amen,” replies Goodman Brown, immediately solidifying the couple’s strong faith in their Puritan religion. Analyzing Young Goodman Brown’s name; however, gives insight a deeper into the depths of his being without taking his actions into account. Taking the main character’s name literally, Young Goodman Brown refers to a young innocent man in the community who has not yet been offered grace to be saved. However, further analysis of his name reveals that Goodman Brown may not be as pure as he originally seems. The word “goodman,” can be used in Scottish culture as another name for the devil, indicating that Goodman Brown’s name represents both a good man in a Colonial community as well as an evil entity. This coupled with Goodman Brown’s last name, a mixture between light and dark, shows the ambiguity of Young Goodman Brown’s name. As the story progresses, Goodman Brown becomes increasingly tempted by the dark side of human nature; however, ultimately his good being ultimately prevails as he, “looks up to heaven, and resists the wicked one” …show more content…
Goodman Brown treats in almost a childlike manner instructing her to, “Say thy prayers, dear Faith, and go to bed at dusk, and no harm will come to thee,” (pg) and her appearance supports her innocence through the pink ribbons tied in her cap. Faith’s pink ribbons, being a mixture between white and red, serve as a dual symbol of both purity and passion through the color that they posses. Her husband’s idea of her is the epitome of pure, “She is a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night I will cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven” (pg). His idea of her is shattered later in the story with her loss of the ribbons as she flies over Goodman Brown on his journey; indicative of her complete surrender to the ways of the devil from her unsaved ways. With her loss of the ribbon comes Goodman Brown’s cry, “My Faith is gone! There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name”