Young Goodman Brown Essay

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Young Goodman Brown

Nathaniel Hawthorn s Young Goodman Brown (reprinted in Thomas r. Arp s

Story and Structure, 9th ed.[Fort Worth: Hardcourt,1998] 303-12)has an

ambiguous quality that defines many of Hawthorn s other works. He uses these

loose ended stories to draw the reader in allowing him or her to make his or

her own decisions as to the meaning of the story. In the case of Young

Goodman Brown this ambiguity lets the reader identify with Brown by giving

them only the information that Brown gets, and giving them the same doubts

that plague Brown for the rest of his life. Their are two basic conclusions

that the story could have; Brown really met the devil and his whole town is in

Satan s service, or Brown dreamt the whole thing. By doing this Hawthorne

presents a story with dual meanings. Brown both dreamed, and truly

experienced the events and each ending gives the reader a different message.

In the case of reality Hawthorne presents a warning of lies hidden beneath the

surface, while if it was a dream Hawthorne tells the reader to be more

trusting. The two meanings contradict each other, and by doing so appeal to a

wider audience and stimulate thought on both messages.

If the events that transpired were, in fact, reality then Hawthorne is

showing the dangers of society, and the evils it can hide. Puritanical

society prided itself on its holiness and to most eyes it appears that they

truly were a pious people. Yet what if it were not so, what if evil lurked in

the thoughts and deeds of those so called god fearing villagers. Brown finds

this for himself on his sojourn into the forest. Members of the community who

he thought were beyond reproach parade past revealing sins beyond Brown s

comprehension. His old Sunday school teacher greets the devil, as his worship

and even in some strange sense exchanges recipes with him(306). Even the

minister and the deacon are embroiled in this travesty, passing by Brown while

speaking of the upcoming meeting (307-8). Brown even finds his own family had

pacts with Lucifer (305). His final tearing point comes with the realization

that his wife Faith is...

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