So this paper will basically analyze psychologically Goodman Brown according to Freud theory and paranoid complex. Samuel Freud's theory which divided the psyche into three parts; id, ego and superego plays a big part in studying Brown's actions. Through the story, Brown is suffering from a struggle between his id which represents desires and his superego which represents perfection. Brown at the beginning of the story decides to leave his wife to go to the forest at night. His journey leads him to leave the village which is a place of light and security to the forest which is a place of darkness, dangerous and unknown destination.
In two of Hawthorne's pieces of literature, "Young Goodman Brown" and "The Birthmark," there are many similarities and differences in the way they are written and the messages they convey to the reader. A major theme found in both "Young Goodman Brown" and "The Birthmark" is the conflict between good and evil. This theme is found in "Young Goodman Brown" in a rather direct way. Goodman Brown is attracted by the devil, and he tries to battle it by clinging on to the only hope he has, faith. This is an obvious conflict between good and evil, as a man has to make his decision regarding which way to follow, and both paths have elements which attract the person to following them.
Inspired to be a vigilante Because of his lost he became the knight, The caped crusader who lurks the fearful shadows. With no special abilities he was taught to hide in the shadows. He was suppose to be fear itself striking from the sky. But to become that fear, the dark knight, He had to face his fear, the dwellers of the dark. He was one step closer to becoming the kind of vigilante Gotham City needed, a hero who could end crime.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” is set in the dark period of Puritan history: the witch-trials. One follows Brown’s reluctant journey into the forest. To the Puritans, the forest has always been a place of evil, and “demonic presence, the ancestral spirits” rest there (Cook). Brown supposedly has a meeting with some witches, but he does not want to be seen with such sort, in fear of being accused of witchcraft. The setting in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” subtly brings out additional meanings through symbolism, ultimately reveals Brown’s personality and values, and drastically shows a change in Brown throughout the journey.
Jillian Johnson Professor Carl Miller English 1020 25 June 2011 Goodman Brown’s Loss of Innocence Since the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, the temptation of sin is what inevitably dictates people’s lives. In the allegorical story “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, he portrays man’s struggle with temptation through the use of the protagonist, Goodman Brown. Goodman Brown, looses his innocence while he travels deeper into the dark forest, and has an experience that forever left an impression on his life. Hawthorne relies on symbolism to overall portray the allegorical journey of the fall of man to sin. The story begins when Goodman Brown has to leave his beautiful wife, Faith, whose name is no accident, to go on a journey in the dark woods.
He knows he is heading down a road, which will leave him scarred for life. Brown meets the devil in the forest. He tells the devil “Faith kept me back a while”. This is Brown’s way of holding on to this premature faith a little longer before he sells his soul to the devil. “As nearly as could be discerned, the second traveller was about fifty years old, apparently in the same rank of life as Goodman Brown, and bearing a considerable resemblance to him, though perhaps more in expression than features.” This line from the story proves that Brown was relating to the devil in his dream.
Humanity’s Frail Resolve in Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown Young Goodman Brown is a young man living in the Puritan society of Salem in Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman Brown.” He is curiously led by a peculiar old man into the gloomy forest where he witnesses dire deeds committed by the very people he has been in contact with his entire life. After the ordeal, Goodman Brown’s perception of the townspeople, his wife and himself have all been completely twisted. His resolve is easily shattered as he, due to his religious practices and beliefs, cannot comprehend a life with sin and treachery. Hawthorne’s story describes many weak points in human nature that may result in a loss of self-righteousness and dignity. These mishaps, whether they be intentional or not, may often cloud judgment, or lead into false hope or aspiration.
Although various readers may have different outlooks on the allegories presented in “Young Goodman Brown” by Hawthorne, it is clear that there is one condescending message that this story is conveying. Young Goodman Brown is an allegory of a young man grappling with his spirituality and a constant clash between his beliefs of whether to stay good of give into the temptation of sin. Hawthorne used different colors, characters, and even settings to display this message. The setting of this story takes place in Salem. Salem is important in understanding this story because at that time, the town of Salem was ingested in the controversy of the Salem witch trials.
The hypocrisy of Puritan culture is also highlighted in this story. This story is presented as a journey of Young Goodman Brown which led him in the loss of his faith and virtue. This paper also refers to the story of William Wilson by Edgar Allan Poe. This story is written by the author describing the years he spent outside London. This story is based on rationality.
Young Goodman Brown Analysis Young Goodman Brown, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a story of a Puritan man and his journey through the woods one night. With another testament to the inherit flaws in Puritanism, Hawthorne describes a man who is driven crazy after seeing a vision. Puritanism forced so much superstition and fear onto its followers, that even small things would cause them to go crazy, declare people “witches,” and other extreme actions that modern day society frowns upon. Most of the events in the story take place in a wooded area outside of a Puritan town at night. This creates the perfect “spooky” environment for Goodman’s visions.