Moral Judgements on the Characters in Short Stories - Research Paper Example

Moral judgements made about the characters in the stories Young Goodman Brown and Harrison Bergeron are used to affect symbolism. In MLAStyle Full Name Last Name 2 Name Subject Professor Date Abstract This paper is an in-depth analysis of the short stories Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut. It discusses the moral judgements that are used in the two books that affect symbolism. As you read along, a deep understanding of the symbols used in the stories and the importance of each moral judgement that affect symbolism will be achieved. Young Goodman Brown The story starts in motion with young Brown leaves his three-month wife, Faith, home and meets a stranger, with a staff resembling a snake, in a forest to join undetermined, but evidently unholy ceremony. It is being discussed in the story that his wife, Faith, wears a hat with pink ribbons on it. Hawthorne explains the character of the wife by the symbol of pink ribbons which entails daintiness, fragility and innocence. It can also be viewed as the main character’s faith itself that is clean, innocent and can easily be corrupted. It will be noticed that Brown’s name, Goodman also signifies the literal meaning of the word, a good man. Hawthorne uses the names of the characters as symbols in the story to define the characters easily. At the time of meeting of Brown and the man with a staff, the author also gives a briefing of the stranger’s character. He describes the mysterious man as someone who is typical and ordinary by its appearance. (Connolly, p 21-23) Last Name 3 Hawthorne depicts that the man, who appears to be the devil in the story can be seen in any ordinary man. The author makes the stranger carry a staff which resembles a serpent, looking so real as if it seems to move. It is associated to the rod thrown by Aaron, a biblical character, before the Pharaoh. It also symbolizes lies and deceit which explains the character of the one who uses it. Hence, the staff of Brown’s companion is being linked to evil. As Brown goes on with the journey, with his companion deep in to the woods, the former bears in his mind about his thirst to comeback to Faith whom he has left behind. The setting of the story is in Salem, Massachusetts, which is an essential part of the story that gives an outstanding background of the town where Brown is from. History marks Salem as the center of witchcraft in the 17th century where people who have been indicted of the practice been hanged. As the story goes on, confusion occurs when the man with the staff tells Brown that he has worked with his parents in the past. It can be viewed as a trick for the readers to be confused about the character of the mysterious man with the staff to add more mystery to it. It would be noticed that the latter offers his staff to Brown a few times to help the main character on their journey in the woods. (Connolly, p 76-79) Hawthorne is successful in building the mysterious character of the stranger. At some points of their journey, Brown refuses to take it which could be a symbol of unwillingness to accept wickedness. As the two moves on, the story shows that Brown begins to realize that a lot of his townsfolk are travelling towards the ceremony which surprises him particularly when he sees the Deacon, the Minister and the woman who taught him catechism whom he considers models of the Christian community. On that note, the author is leading the readers to think about two Last Name 4 things; either those people familiar to Brown are really heading towards the ceremony or the stranger, who plays the devil role to those who Hawthorne isn’t able to confuse, just makes a mere imagination for Brown, but both serve the same purpose, to lure the main character to the ceremony. The ideas are applicable to the story and Hawthorne uses figures like the people whom Brown looks up to like the Deacon, the Minister and the woman who taught him catechism. Noticing all these, he understands that not everyone, who seems to do good things, shows holiness and preaches the good word is sincere to what they do. It can also mean that no matter how holy a person is, he/she can still be corrupted and it is only a question of what it takes to corrupt them. This realization makes him want to turn back a few times but still decides to proceed. Hawthorne could be showing here that the main character’s step to wickedness progresses. As the story proceeds to the ceremony, it shows there that Brown is mixed emotions with what is happening. He sees familiar faces like his neighbors and other people he knows, which surprises him since there was never a time he though those people can do anything close to such evil. It is shown in the story that the people who submit in the anointing at the ceremony are living but unfree – living but dead. Hawthorne skillfully reveals the shadowy area between Good and Evil, where it is hard to determine if something is good or bad. Through Brown’s questioning at one moment in his life, he begins to question the validity of everything and everyone around him. Hawthorne juxtaposes light and dark, innocence and experience, good and evil and dream and reality. (Charters, p 677-682) He brought philosophical and psychological views into the story as he explains the Last Name 5 intricacies of human motivation and action. He’s able to create a true American voice since literature that time was too cliched of British molds. He’s able to take the hearts of the readers to their reality and as the story progresses; he takes us to a step-by-step process, realizing that Brown is just like us, someone who seeks for the truth, from the innocent curiosity, leaving his wife for an uncharted but unholy journey to the realization of the reality. The fictional book relates not just to the history of Salem, but to the present time. It opens our eyes to the fact that we are leaving in a world full of trickery and deceit. Though Brown becomes cynical and jaded about everyone surrounds him in the end, it doesn’t tell us to be the same, but to be cautious. Good things could be deceiving, great honors could be misleading. This tells us where the line is drawn between good and bad and those who are in danger crossing it. Harrison Bergeron The short story Harrison Bergeron is one of the most important stories ever written by Kurt Vonnegut. The story portrays a dystopian America of authoritarian government, taking egalitarianism in exaggeration with a blend of satirical humor and science fiction that is set in 2081 with the Amendments for equality reaching 211, 212 and 213 in the Constitution. (Vonnegut, p 5-10) In the short story Harrison Bergeron, Vonnegut tells the readers that equality, when taken literally is dangerous in both execution and outcome and not worth striving for. The story tortures the American citizens in achieving physical and mental equality. The beautiful wear masks and disfigures themselves, the brilliant minds wear giant headphones with disturbingly nerve- wracking sounds to disable them from logical thinking and the fit and strong wear weights 24/7 Last Name 6 around their necks to impede their gracefulness and distort their figures. The characters in the story like Hazel and George, parents of the main character Harrison, follow the rules and behave accordingly to the set standards of the society for two reasons; they have internalized the goals of the government and are scared for the possible outcome of not following the law such as reverting back to the old times when competition was tight, and the other is they are just afraid to be punished. (Charters, p 342-350) When the story begins, a loud noise buzzes in George’s head as he watches in front of the TV. As the ballerinas dance with their weights around their necks with masks to cover their beauty on screen, a disturbing sound of a bottle being smashed in his ears rings. When he thinks about his son, Harrison, he is interrupted by the noise of guns firing, creating an excessively disturbing sound that is more than enough to foreshadow the murder of his son. As Harrison appears on TV, his father hears a sound of a car crashing that entails injury of a number of people. The sound interrupts George while his son is being executed on live TV by Diana Moon Glampers is depicted as a disable or handicap signal. The vague phrase means that people are artificially made dumb to maintain so no one will contest or complain for the purpose of equality. (Charters, p 368-371) Vonnegut uses Harrison as a symbol of the spark of defiance and individuality that exists in a lot of people, especially the younger generation. Harrison is portrayed to be a 14-year old son of George and Hazel but in spite of his age, he is a towering at 7 feet, face that passes as an alpha male and a close to Hercules-like strength who hungers for power. It is shown when he barges in to the television studio, proclaiming that he is the emperor with a powerful mad tone. This is an exaggerated symbol of defiance of those who have the urge to excel, maybe the slaves, maybe Last Name 7 the blacks or even the whites who, in spite of equality, have been set to limit themselves and not be allowed to surpass anyone. They break the chains that disallow them to be at their best and defy the rules set by an egalitarian society. Vonnegut suggests that those who spirits who still exist in 2081, somebody like Diana Moon Glampers will quickly put an end to their days. Works Cited Connolly, Thomas E. Nathaniel Hawthorne: Young Goodman Brown. Columbus, Ohio: C.E. Merrill, 1968. Print. Vonnegut, Kurt. Harrison Bergeron. New York: Mercury Press, 1962. Print. Charters, Ann. The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003. Print. Read More

 

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