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Young Goodman Brown: Allegory And Analysis

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The piece of literature chosen for this close reading is Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born July 4th in the town of Salem, Massachusetts, the location chosen for the setting of Young Goodman Brown. Hawthorne is known for is his works that contain haunting details that focus on the depravity of man, yet are skilfully crafted. The use of detail and many times allegory in Hawthorne’s stories makes him one of the most studied writers. This is to be expected as Hawthorne at a young age devoted himself to becoming a writer. In his early years Nate found out at an early age that his father had died at sea, Nate was injury himself at that time and developed a love of writing. Nate writing took off and he found …show more content…
Young Goodman Brown is a short story written in third person during the literary period of romanticism. The detail and the allegory that Hawthorne uses in Young Goodman Brown only adds to the overall structure of this literary passage. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writing style in Young Goodman Brown is filled with detail and allegory, making his writing difficult to follow at times. The overall theme of Young Goodman Brown varies as Hawthorne uses various themes throughout to carry the story along. As previously stated, Hawthorne’s story tend to highlight the depravity of man, Young Goodman Brown is no exception. Hawthorne is straightforward with the themes presented in this story, he presented the idea of good vs. evil, as Young Goodman Brown is forced to come face to face with the devil. Following the idea of the human condition or depravity of man, Hawthorne also has the main character experience the loss of innocence, the reason why this aspect of the story is so effect is because the loss of innocence is gradually throughout the story. The tone and mood of this short story is depressing and eye-opening to the realities that main character must face as he faces the devil and the many obstacles. Hawthorne uses words such as evil or melancholy to convey to the reader the mood of the story. The dialogue used is very cold and could be like what Goodman is feeling as he is losing

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