Hypocrisy In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

A reality of life is that humans over inflate the good in people. Well known idols are often praised for their talent, personality, and attitudes. People often undermine the fact that nobody is perfect. Nobody can essentially be truly flawless in nature. Nathaniel Hawthorne demonstrates this in his work, “Young Goodman Brown.” He demonstrates that people are evil in nature and mocks the hypocrisy of society. Brown sees well known people,whom he sees as honorable, go to the devil’s worship ceremony. The truth that he does not realize is that he is also there with them. Although he perceives himself as a holy man, he chooses to follow the wicked ways of the people. Hawthorne, writing this in the puritan era, criticizes the hypocritic nature of that time.Hawthorne uses symbolism, theme, the setting of,“Young Goodman Brown,” to convey the idea that people will never be truly pure again after committing wrongdoings.

Hawthorne’s intentions of naming Young Goodman Brown’s wife Faith symbolizes his actual faith. When Brown departs for his errand, he can tell that, “ there was trouble in her face, as if a dream had warned her what work is to be done tonight”(25). Brown sees that uncertainty in the expression …show more content…
Hawthorne uses symbolism, theme, and the setting to expose the hypocrisy of the puritans and show that people hide their wrong actions from the public. Young Goodman Brown’s journey shows how hypocritical he was and how the people around him are not as they seem. For taking part in the sinful actions of the people around him, he is filled with shame and guilt for the rest of his life. He could never return to loving his faith as he once did, and lived his life void of any spiritual drive and motivation. He like other people need to realize that there are things in life that we should not hide or else there will be