Symbolism,Characterization, and Faith in Hawthornes...

Symbolism,Characterization, and Faith in Young Goodman Brown Faith is believing what you can’t see or touch. Faith is knowing something especially when there is no proof to back it up. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is a story about a man who leaves his wife, Faith, home alone for a night while he journeys with the devil down the road of temptation. During the course of his journey, the man sees many people who seem out of place, including his wife. When he returns home to Salem, he is a changed man. In this story, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism and characterization in order to imply that when an individual loses faith in the goodness of mankind, that individual may conclude that mankind (including friends and family) has given in†¦show more content†¦Later in the journey Brown offers his faith as the last reason to abort his walk with the devil: Well, then, to end the matter at once,... there is my wife, Faith. It would break her dear little heart; and Id rather break my own! (214). At this point his faith is still more important to him than his own life. Later, just after doubting whether there really is a Heaven, Browns trust in his faith is changed as he imagines that even Faith is traveling along the same road of temptation. He exclaims, My Faith is gone! There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil! For to thee is this world given(217). Goodman Browns faith in humanity is completely destroyed. He concedes the earth and all mankind to the devil. At the end of the story Hawthorne shows that Browns love for his Faith is damaged forever: ...he shrank from the bosom of Faith, and at morning or eventide, when the family knelt down at prayer, he scowled, and muttered to himself, and gazed sternly at his wife and turned away(221). The journey had changed Browns relationship with Faith, because it changed his faith in mankind. Hawthorne uses characterization to imply that when individuals lose their faith in the goodness of mankind, they may begin to imagine that their peers have yielded to temptation. The journey through the woods changes Browns thoughts about the goodness ofShow MoreRelatedThe Fall Of The House Of Usher2041 Words   |  9 Pagesquite popular today. One of Hawthorne’s most popular short stories include the writing of â€Å"Young Goodman Brown.† What makes Hawthorne so progressive in today’s literary world is the fact that he makes a smooth transition from symbolism to allegory in his writings. Edgar Allan Poe uses a more gothic style of writing that gives his science fiction literature unique character. One of Poe’s more popular stories is â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† in which he uses deep symbolism and imagery to tell the storyRead MoreBiography of Nathaniel Hawthorne1273 Words   |  6 Pagescharacter, views, and faith. Although all parents try their best to successfully raise their children, even the most perfect of families cannot hide their deep, dark secrets forever. Raised as a Puritan, Nathaniel Hawthorne grew up with a devout family intensely immersed in religion. As he matured, Hawthorne discovered that his seemingly pious family was disturbingly flawed, a discovery that would radically change his life. In his short story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Puritan family secretsRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown1324 Words   |  6 Pages(Tarantino). In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, Brown is the righteous man following a path beset on all sides by evil. Hawthorne utilizes the fictional elements of symbolism, characterization, and setting to discuss the story’s theme of temptation of the wrong choices over the right. This story is based in Hawthorne’s home town Salem. 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Later that night Brown discovers to his amazement, that many exemplary villagers are on the same path including, GoodyRead MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 Pagesthe process of change. So-called initiation novels, such as David Copperfield, Huckleberry Finn and the Great Gatsby, are examples. In each case the author has arranged the events of the plot so that they reveal the slow and painful maturing of the young protagonist coming into contact with the world of adult experience. Static characters leave the plot as they entered it, largely untouched by the events that have taken place. Although static characters tend to be minor ones, because the author’s principal