Wednesday, May 6, 2020
The Compulsion Toward Evil in Hawthornes Young Goodman...
The Compulsion Toward Evil in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†It is the intention of this essay to demonstrate the compulsion toward gross evil in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†that is indicated by the actions of the characters, a compulsion that includes not only the leading characters but virtually everyone in the tale. In Salem village that fateful night when the young Puritan husband was departing home for the night, he exchanged â€Å"a parting kiss with his young wife.†The wind was playing with â€Å"the pink ribbons of her cap.†Literary critic Wagenknecht surveys some of the critical interpretation relative to these ribbons on Faith’s cap and how they convey a message from Hawthorne: Mathews finds the pastel of infancy in†¦show more content†¦Well said, Goodman Brown! I have been as well acquainted with your family as with ever a one among the Puritans; and thats no trifle to say. I helped your grandfather, the constable, when he lashed the Quaker woman so smartly through the streets of Salem. And it was I that brought your father a pitch-pine knot, kindled at my own hearth, to set fire to an Indian village, in King Philips War. They were my good friends, both; and many a pleasant walk have we had along this path, and returned merrily after midnight. I would fain be friends with you, for their sake. Shortly thereafter Goodman is shown Goody Cloyse, his old catechism teacher en route to the witch-meeting, and immediately thereafter he is confronted with: Mighty well, Deacon Gookin! replied the solemn old tones of the minister. Spur up, or we shall be late. Nothing can be done, you know, until I get on the ground. Brown’s faith in the goodness of humanity has nearly been extinguished. When the ribbon from Faith’s cap flutters down into his sight, Goodman Brown forfeits his last bit of faith and his conversion to evil appears to be complete: But something fluttered lightly down through the air, and caught on the branch of a tree. The young man seized it, and beheld a pink ribbon. My Faith is gone! cried he, after one stupefiedShow MoreRelatedEssay on Women in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown1724 Words  | 7 Pagesâ€Å"Young Goodman Brown†and Women      What are the attitudes of the young Puritan husband Goodman Brown toward women, of the author toward women, of other characters in the story toward women? This essay intends to answer that question.  Randall Stewart in â€Å"Hawthorne’s Female Characters†states that there are three types of female characters in Hawthorne’s writings: (1) â€Å"the wholesome New England girl, bright, sensible and self-reliant;†(2) â€Å"the frail, sylph-like creature, easilyRead More The Themes in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay3172 Words  | 13 PagesThe Themes in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†           In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†the reader finds several themes. These will be discussed in this essay.  Morse Peckham in â€Å"The Development of Hawthorne’s Romanticism†explains what he interprets Hawthorne’s main theme to be:  Once the self has been redeemed from society it can be explored in its own terms, and for this purpose Hawthorne developed his peculiar use of emblematic allegory. . . . This technique,Read More The Theme of Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay2278 Words  | 10 PagesThe Theme of Young Goodman Brown           This essay intends to develop an interpretation of the theme of â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†.  To come by a clear notion of the theme of â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†is no easy task, thanks to the confusing style of the author. As A.N. Kaul says in the â€Å"Introduction†to Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays:  Because Hawthorne was much given to evasions, mystifications, and prevarications of various sorts, because he repeatedly confusesRead MoreEssay about Theme of Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown3036 Words  | 13 Pagesâ€Å"Young Goodman Brown†– Theme           The themes in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†are not as obvious as might be expected. This essay intends to present an interpretation of the tale along the lines of theme.  In reading Hawthorne’s tales, Herman Melville in â€Å"Hawthorne and His Mosses†(in Literary World, August 17, 24, 1850) makes discoveries relevant to the themes:  Where Hawthorne is known, he seems to be deemed a pleasant writer, with a pleasant styleRead MoreYoung Goodman Brown: Characters4483 Words  | 18 PagesYoung Goodman Brown: Characters Introduction â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†is a short story by the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story made its first appearance in the New England Magazine for April 1835 and was collected in Mosses from an Old Manse in 1846. The story is set in the Puritan New England, a common setting for Hawthornes works, and like most of the stories in Mosses, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†examines Hawthorne’s favorite themes: the loss of religious faith, presence of temptation
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