Jamil's Critique Of Carnivalesque Free

In her critique, Carnivalesque Freedom in Hawthorne’s YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN, Selina Jamil proposes that although there in an obvious theme of the human heart’s confrontation with evil, there is also a carnivalesque theme that is exemplified when the use of irony and parody ridicule the Puritan idea of virtue as well as the power of evil itself. Jamil continues that the carnivalesque theme further establishes that the “encounter with evil teaches the average mind to replace naiveté with skepticism.” Ultimately, Jamil states that there is no resolution with the internal conflict of Goodman Brown just like there is no resolution as to whether the “witch meeting” was reality or a dream. If Jamil indeed believes that YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN exemplifies a feature of Bakhtinian carnival, then Bakhtinian carnival concepts should, at the very least, be mentioned. Jamil offers a look at the ridicule of the Puritan idea of virtue and the “power” of evil itself by suggesting that the rituals displayed by Hawthorne “parodically mirror” that of the church; furthermore, the irony found in the “sable form” stating that its

She connects Bakhtin’s idea of “the death of the old and the birth of the new” to the expiration of Goodman Brown’s naivety and his re-emergence as the skeptic. The author’s position seems valid and accurate, and use of vocabulary is appropriate, with her intended audience being college students. Jamil’s point comes across effectively and without use of fallacy. Her point would have, however, been more powerful with further background on the literary use of Bakhtin’s carnival – especially to students of literature. After research on the topic, there are similarities between Hawthorne’s work and Bakhtin’s carnival concept. Knowledge about the carnival concept also allows the reader to see the connection between parody and ridicule that Jamil speaks about in her