Young Goodman Brown

The Very Controversial Snake There are many common assumptions, beliefs, and stereotypes about snakes (serpents).The snake is a very controversial figure for they are seen as either cunning, deceiving, and greedy, sign of death and sickness, or as a part of creation, immortality, hero, or as a protector. And that's just the tip of the iceberg of their many characteristics. Asian, African, and Australian snakes are viewed as a great and good power such as a Rainbow and Rain God, the…

Imagine the following scene. After block one, you scream “Miserable me.” as you extinguish the flames of a fried brain. Hesitant steps, hardy mind map, humiliating pep talk is the hallowed ritual of a “classic” teen before they enter another class. However, you know in between class you are going to face obstacles and reemerge as Beowulf, freshly ripped out of that cave, triumphed with grappling extremely serious personal challenges. “What cave?”, you might ask. You know, the dreadful…

In the story The Chaser, written by John Collier, the story explains about a boy named Alan who wanders into a home of a stranger who happens to represent characteristics of a magician in a way. And in this time, the boy is seeking out a way for the girl of his dreams to go out with him even though it may cost the girl to give up her life in a sense. The boy show’s no actual remorse for what he is about to do, but it’s for certain he won’t realize it until the deed is done. Of course, there are…

Many books are similar because of the characters qualities and situations that occur throughout the story. In the novel Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, follows 48 hours of Holden Caulfield, a young troubled child. He goes through many mental and emotional changes throughout the novel, much like Jim Stark, in the movie, Rebel without a Cause. This movie, directed by Nicholas Ray, examines the life of a constant moving teen, and the conflict he occurs while trying to fit in. Although…

The meaning of the mysterious Black Veil from Hawthorne’s short story has been long disputed, but what does it actually mean? Hawthorne was a writer that lived and wrote during the romantic period., Hawthorne dealt with sin and how it affects us negatively. One of his more famous short stories Minister of the Black Veil also deals with sin. Hawthorne’s short story proves that the veil is a device that the minister uses to dramatize that everyone has a secret sin and, therefore should not judge…

The forest in The Scarlet Letter, by Nathanial Hawthorn is a recurring metaphor in the novel. Gossip and shame encircled the forest, causing a skewed view of this isolated location within the Puritan community. However, Hawthorne dubs the forest as a place of freedom, joy, and truth to those with secrets. Boston’s Puritan society of the mid 1600’s feared the near-by forest. Believing that “the black man that haunts the forest” (Hawthorn 71). The forest symbolized many things about…

Man is Inherently Sinful "Man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness"(Martin Luther King Jr.). This quotation from Martin Luther King Jr. reveals that man has a choice to be good or evil. Each individual has the potential to display goodness but they also have the potential to give in to sin. It is up to man to fight his own inclination to sin. In Conrad's novel, Heart of Darkness, he delineates that evil can come from…

In “The Minister’s Vigil” Nathaniel Hawthorne develops depth to the characters by evaluating sin and guilt. The second scaffold scene in the novel reveals Arthur Dimmesdale’s feelings of guilt. The minister stands on the scaffold during the night in attempt to confess his guilt. In the first scaffold scene Hester stands on the scaffold with Pearl in her arms. In this scene the name of the father is investigated by Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. The two scenes in comparison differentiate when…

They are forgiven Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter hoping he had shown forgiveness for his father's mistakes. He wanted to make statements for example, “Be True” and “Everyone is Forgiven”. In the story Hawthorne had it seem as if everyone had shown forgiveness. When he wrote the characters that had died he wrote about the good things that they did or the good things that happened to them before they died. The characters that lived went on to live happy successful lives. Hawthorne had…

Nathaniel Hawthorne provides the biggest intimation in his fictional novel, The Scarlet Letter, to shape the path of the characters. He introduces Hester Prynne living in a faithful Puritan world that degrades her because of her misdeed. Hawthorne illustrates a brighter rosebush in a dark environment that guides characters from shame to redemption. Although the rosebush can be seen as an aspiration within the darkness through the eyes of the prisoners, its scarlet luminosity embodies a token of…