Young Goodman Brown - Essay Example

Young Goodman Brown

Young Goodman Brown is Hawthorne’s short story that clearly depicts the nature of humanity. He uses the story of a young man who was married for almost three months before undertaking a journey into the forest to meet a sinister character. In the course of the journey, to meet a character that has s semblance of both the devil and Brown, he learns details about himself, his wife, and other people he knew that set him off on a path of suspicion and hopelessness, and eventually death. The journey that Goodman undertakes symbolizes life. According to the story, Hawthorne depicts that human nature is filled with wickedness that is hidden from others. He demonstrates the theme of wickedness in human nature and its consequences in the life of Young Goodman brown.

Brown leaves his wife faith in Salem village. The wife asks him to stay, but he convinces her that he has to undertake the journey. He also reminds the wife to say her prayers before going to bed ad she would be safe for the time he will be away (Hawthorne 1). Unknown to her is the mission of the journey. His encouragement and mention of prayer as a religious practice, together with his description of faith as a” blessed angel on earth” and his desire to cling to her to heaven after he returns all speak of his outward show and belief in religion and good. However, the very purpose of the journey is informed by a struggle between the choice to be pious or sinful. When he meets the devil, he first informs him that he has to return to his home, as his purpose was mere to meet him in the forest. However, he is convinced by the sinister creature to continue walking and reasoning until he finally gets to the ceremony. The struggle to continue or to go back is informed by the Goodman he believes he is and yet countered by the wickedness hidden in his heart that he seeks.

The hidden wickedness is also informed by the notion of public morality that the society imposes. Although Brown has made the trip to meet the devil in the forest, he is only comfortable by virtue of several elements. He is comfortable that it is dark and nighttime. He is comfortable as long as he is alone with the devil and no one else who knows him is around. He is not comfortable when Goody Cloyse joins them. He also demonstrates dismay when he hears the deacon together with the minister, knowing who they are in the society and yet getting to understand their nature in the dark in association with the devil. The company of the people, who he acknowledges and even thinks consider him pious, makes him uncomfortable. The reason for the discomfort is that he is more concerned with the way these people view him and his faith as opposed to the fact that he set out on a mission to meet the devil. His religious beliefs and convictions for long been rooted in the belief that the people around him are religious and as such, he too ought to be religious, or appear so. The kind of faith that is determined by public morality perception is weak and wicked. It can easily be swayed to the majority. For example, when Brown learns that all the people he believes are religious like Faith, his grandfather, the minister, the deacon, and Goody Cloyse are part of the association with the devil, he also decides that it is okay top reveal himself and joins them (Hawthorne 5–6).

Additionally, wickedness is hidden by the perception of what things in the environment represent. For example, the color pink that is used to describe the ribbon of Faith’s cap represents purity, youthfulness, and innocence. Hawthorne mentions the color several time sat the start of the narrative to depict the picture that Brown has his wife regarding modesty, character, and nature. As the story unfolds, Brown sees a pink ribbon flutter from the sky (Hawthorne 7–8). He perceives that it is a sign that evil has gotten into the heart of Faith. At the end of the story, Brown returns home to see Faith with the same pick ribbon and is more confused about the reality of what he just experienced. Another image that is perceived as evil is the Indians that Brown imagines could be lurking in the first at night. He can only imagine “devilish Indians behind every tree.” The association of the Indians with evil and the devil is shocking when in fact he does not meet any devilish Indian but meets the Christians in the forest together with the devil. In the end, the realization that what people exude and appearances are not necessarily the truth sets him apart to be cynical and to suspect everybody. He has come to believe that what people present on the outward is not necessarily the truth and that evil is easily hidden behind such beliefs that appear good.

The inherent hidden wickedness of humanity is rooted in the inherent corruptibility. Brown is innocent of evil in appearance and belief before he sets out for the journey. It is that inherent corruptibility that Hawthorne uses to depict that innocence loss is inevitable in the life of humanity. The life of Brown clearly depicts a journey from innocent to corruption by evil. The difference is that he undertakes the journey knowing that he would lose his innocence. Brown’s choice to go into the forest, at night, and meet the devil was a danger in itself. It was the first step in losing his innocence. As such, the devil is not primarily the cause of innocence loss for Brown; he merely facilitates the process that is initiated by Brown. Whether the events that unfold in the night are real or merely a dream, Brown makes the choice to associate with evil. For example, if the events are unreal and are a dream, then it is a testimony of the inherent evil imaginations in the mind of Brown. If the events are real, the it is clear that Brown takes the first step in associating with evil (Zhenzhen 15–16). The fact that humanity is inherently corrupt means that at some point in the course of life, they are responsible for their own loss of innocence and the choice to either hide wickedness or display it in the open.

The belief of the forest and darkness as a depiction of evil and the devil coupled with the choice to venture in it is clear of the inherent curiosity that stems from hidden wickedness. Brown lived at a time when the forest was associated with danger and fear. It is seen in the Puritans culture as a place where no good could arise from (Boonyaprasop 9). When he first sets out to the forest, he is afraid of the dark. He is also afraid of the wild Indians that might be lurking in the dark. He is also afraid that the devil might be present. Eventually, he meets the devil in the forest. In his belief, he though it as an honor to his family that they would never have taken a walk in the forest, especially for pleasure. It is a family honor, and a part of why he hesitates to continue into the forest, until he gives in to the evil intentions in his heart and the convictions of the devil. Regardless of his strong belief and pride in the family model against walking in the forest, his attempts to continue speak of the evil in his heart. Furthermore, the fact that his grandfather is part of the congregation in the forest for the ceremony proves that the family model he held so dearly was merely a cover for the reality. The reality was that even his family associated with the forest, and its evil, even as they demonstrated a model of hating it in the night. Brown learns that comfort with the forest is synonymous with giving in to evil.

The wickedness of human nature is also hidden by the perception of the female purity concept. The concept of female purity was well established in the nineteenth century when Hawthorne was writing the story. It is the concept of female purity that causes a struggle in the mind of Brown as he decides whether to venture into the dark and leave his wife or stay with her for the night. In the end, he convinces himself that while Faith prays, she and he will be safe and that she would be the reason, why the undertaking into the forest will be a one-time event. The purity that faith has depicted to Brown is the strength for his resistance to continue with the devil in the forest. At the beginning of the story, eh convinces himself that after the one night of evil, he will return home, hold onto the skirts of the blessed angel Faith, and ascent to heaven with her (Zhenzhen 6–7). Even after he has met many other members of the church in the forest, he still believes that Faith is worth fighting for, once he returns from his journey. The idea that a mother or a mown had the power to redeem the family was popular in the culture of the time. Brown goes into the forest believing that as long as Faith keeps herself, Holy, he can find the strength he needs to resist any evil of the devil. It is when Brown discovers that Faith is part of the congregation worshipping the devil that he loses every hope and chance of resisting evil, and becomes cynical of everyone.

In conclusion, the story of Brown is one that illuminates the nature of humanity. Humanity is presented as inherently wicked. They hide the wickedness in their confession, dressing, belief patterns, and social and public expectations of purity. Regardless of Brown’s experiences being real or a dream, the reader is left to ponder about the wickedness that humanity hides in religion and in life.