Archetypes In Young Goodman Brown And The Artificial Nigger

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Archetypes such as the journey and mentor are used in many stories to set a storyline. These archetypes have a moral lessons that are learned through , and both are present in “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Artificial Nigger”. Hawthorne writes about a god fearing man who goes on a mysterious journey into the forest where he meets a devilish mentor. Young Goodman Brown lives in a strict religious town where the Christian church is the center of the community. He lives with his newlywed Faith who he's been married to for three months. As Goodman sets off for his Journey at dusk he “Exchanges a parting kiss with Faith”(134) leaving her behind. Faith fears for Goodman going into the forest alone, and she cries out to him pleading him to “Stay with her and wait until sunrise”(134) to forgo his errand. As …show more content…

A man about 50 years old with “Considerable resemblance to Goodman… So much so they might have been taken for father and son.”(135) He guides Goodman through forest, figuring as they walk along the dark path. In order to gain Goodmans trust the man tells him that he's been “Well acquainted with the Brown family”(136) dating back several generations. Goodman encounters several religious leaders of the community also traveling through the forest, and his faith drains from his soul while filling with despair. Goodman sits on a rock refusing to travel any further, he “Looks up to the sky, doubting whether there really was a Heaven above him.”(140) Goodman gained the courage to walk on once again. As he arrives at the meeting he sees his community surrounding a great fire conducting an evil ritual. Goodman discovers that he is the member they plan on