Experiencing great loss can leave families either torn apart or stronger than ever. “Answers,” a short story from “The Half-Mammals of Dixie,” by George Singleton and “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne are two unforgettable stories that show how going through the loss of trust and faith can impact a person negatively or positively. In both stories, the readers learn how Goodman Brown, a character from “Young Goodman Brown,” and Ronnie and Alexis from “Answers,” handle the loss of trust and innocence; the stories provide unique symbols such as the woods and Job to reveal their sense of loss. In “Young Goodman Brown” and “Answers” the characters undergo the loss of trust and faith in their relationships, but they both persevere through
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In “Young Goodman Brown,” the woods symbolize the dark secrets within the forest. These secrets influence his mental state forever, causing him to feel isolated from his wife and community. This is displayed when the narrator says, “‘There is no good on earth; and sin is but name. Come, devil, for thee is the world given” (Hawthorne 104). The narrator implied how the woods are where Goodman Brown learns about the dark truth about nature, but it turns out he could not handle the truth because after he sees the true nature of people Mr. Brown loses his faith and trust in the woods. Job is a major symbol in “Answers” because Job is a character in the bible that loses everything, resulting in his struggle to trust God. Job represents Alexis and Ronnie's marriage dilemma because the couple is about to lose their connection, but they are determined to persevere through it by applying the Twenty Question game into their lives to restore the devastating loss in the marriage that causes them to be insecure around each other. Given these points, the reader is presented with a different view on life that suggests just because a person has strong morals and values does not mean they are strong enough to restore the loss of trust in his or her …show more content…
Young Goodman Brown is truly confident that he will never be influenced by the devil until his trust is challenged through multiple events in the forest. Joan D. Winslow, the profound author of “The Stranger Within: Two Stories by Oates and Hawthorne,” uncovers the truth by noting, “He awakens and affirms Brown’s doubt of others and his belief that he is irrevocably committed to evil.” In other words, the evil Mr. Brown encounters results in the loss of trust in his marriage because he learns evil is in everyone including his angelic wife. This dark truth causes Mr. Brown to view his surroundings negatively and leaves him at a point of no return. Alexis and Ronnie persevere through their marriage by accepting each other’s flaws. The narrator discloses this by saying, “‘We should stay together. I can feel it. I’m sorry that we came to this…” (Singleton 109). Ronnie comes to realize his mistakes in the marriage and take action by apologizing to Alexis and assures her that as long they are able to own up to their mistakes, they can overcome anything. In all, Brown is affected negatively by his experience because he refuses to accept the truth while Ronnie and Alexis have a positive outcome because they decide to take ownership of their
In “Young Goodman Brown,” the woods symbolize the dark secrets within the forest. These secrets influence his mental state forever, causing him to feel isolated from his wife and community. This is displayed when the narrator says, “‘There is no good on earth; and sin is but name. Come, devil, for thee is the world given” (Hawthorne 104). The narrator implied how the woods are where Goodman Brown learns about the dark truth about nature, but it turns out he could not handle the truth because after he sees the true nature of people Mr. Brown loses his faith and trust in the woods. Job is a major symbol in “Answers” because Job is a character in the bible that loses everything, resulting in his struggle to trust God. Job represents Alexis and Ronnie's marriage dilemma because the couple is about to lose their connection, but they are determined to persevere through it by applying the Twenty Question game into their lives to restore the devastating loss in the marriage that causes them to be insecure around each other. Given these points, the reader is presented with a different view on life that suggests just because a person has strong morals and values does not mean they are strong enough to restore the loss of trust in his or her …show more content…
Young Goodman Brown is truly confident that he will never be influenced by the devil until his trust is challenged through multiple events in the forest. Joan D. Winslow, the profound author of “The Stranger Within: Two Stories by Oates and Hawthorne,” uncovers the truth by noting, “He awakens and affirms Brown’s doubt of others and his belief that he is irrevocably committed to evil.” In other words, the evil Mr. Brown encounters results in the loss of trust in his marriage because he learns evil is in everyone including his angelic wife. This dark truth causes Mr. Brown to view his surroundings negatively and leaves him at a point of no return. Alexis and Ronnie persevere through their marriage by accepting each other’s flaws. The narrator discloses this by saying, “‘We should stay together. I can feel it. I’m sorry that we came to this…” (Singleton 109). Ronnie comes to realize his mistakes in the marriage and take action by apologizing to Alexis and assures her that as long they are able to own up to their mistakes, they can overcome anything. In all, Brown is affected negatively by his experience because he refuses to accept the truth while Ronnie and Alexis have a positive outcome because they decide to take ownership of their