Young Goodman Brown: Dancing with the Devil
Suppose a person was given the opportunity to do something they have always had wanted to do, and no one would find out. Would they, even though they knew it was wrong? The idea of good verses evil is a common controversy found in literature because it is a relatable conflict of wanting to do something even though it is the wrong thing to do. In the story, “Young Goodman Brown,” author Nathaniel Hawthorne writes about Goodman Brown, a Christian man living in Salem, Massachusetts. Brown is constantly tempted to sin against his religion in order to satisfy his thoughts of the unknown. The theme of the short story Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, "Young Goodman Brown” is that each person has a conflict to resolve between being good or giving into evil. Justifying poor choices are common when one is trying to make peace with their actions. In the short story, Brown begins by saying goodbye to his wife, Faith, because he is departing on an adventure that she disapproves of. His new wife of only …show more content…
He was a strong believer in his Christian beliefs and is devoted to staying in God’s good grace. In the beginning of the short story, he says that, “With Heaven above, and Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil” (97), but as the story progresses, he loses his faith and gives into the devil. The devilish man lectures that, “Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness. Welcome again, my children, to the communion of your race” (100), which is his way of telling Goodman Brown to accept that there is evil in their souls. The devil wants the community to embrace their newfound sins and understand there will no longer be any temptations. The devil believes that by doing so, Brown and the village community will unite as a whole by showing them that evil will always overcome
Suppose a person was given the opportunity to do something they have always had wanted to do, and no one would find out. Would they, even though they knew it was wrong? The idea of good verses evil is a common controversy found in literature because it is a relatable conflict of wanting to do something even though it is the wrong thing to do. In the story, “Young Goodman Brown,” author Nathaniel Hawthorne writes about Goodman Brown, a Christian man living in Salem, Massachusetts. Brown is constantly tempted to sin against his religion in order to satisfy his thoughts of the unknown. The theme of the short story Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, "Young Goodman Brown” is that each person has a conflict to resolve between being good or giving into evil. Justifying poor choices are common when one is trying to make peace with their actions. In the short story, Brown begins by saying goodbye to his wife, Faith, because he is departing on an adventure that she disapproves of. His new wife of only …show more content…
He was a strong believer in his Christian beliefs and is devoted to staying in God’s good grace. In the beginning of the short story, he says that, “With Heaven above, and Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil” (97), but as the story progresses, he loses his faith and gives into the devil. The devilish man lectures that, “Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness. Welcome again, my children, to the communion of your race” (100), which is his way of telling Goodman Brown to accept that there is evil in their souls. The devil wants the community to embrace their newfound sins and understand there will no longer be any temptations. The devil believes that by doing so, Brown and the village community will unite as a whole by showing them that evil will always overcome