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Themes And Symbols In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

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In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, Young Goodman Brown, there are many themes, symbols, and motifs revealed in the work, but there are two themes that are exemplified more than any other. These two main themes include the weakness of public morals and the loss of innocence. When displaying the weakness of public morals, Nathaniel Hawthorne exposes how Puritan society’s emphasis on public morality consequently led to corruptness. When Young Goodman Brown decides to go into the forest and meet with the devil, he still hides when he recognizes prominent members of the Salem community, such as Goody Cloyse and Deacon Gookin. He is more bothered by the fact of how his faith will appear to those he knows than by the fact that he has decided
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Conveying Symbolism Through Theme When analyzing a short story, poem, novel, or any piece of literature, a few key components work together to create the plot of the work. For me specifically, the overall theme of the story usually tops the list. In Young Goodman Brown, author Hawthorne uses many symbols to convey the themes of the story: the weakness of public morality and loss of innocence. Firstly, perhaps the most obvious symbol in the story, is the staff.

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A glimpse of evil, witchcraft, and the sudden loss of innocence. It's sunset in colonial Salem. Brown sets off on a voyage towards the forest near his hometown.as he leave, he gives a goodbye kiss to his wife, Faith. Faith begs young Goodman Brown not to leave her alone at night. The setting becomes frightening, and the challenges become more tought.

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In “Young Goodman Brown,” Nathaniel Hawthorne uses diction and imagery to show how revelation often leads to corruption. Initially, Goodman Brown’s character is portrayed as a kind and innocent Puritan by Hawthorne’s use of diction. For example, by saying “my sweet, pretty wife” (1), Brown demonstrates his adoration towards his wife; he even goes as far to compare her to an angel.

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In his short story “Young Goodman Brown” Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism and imagery to show the concept of good versus evil. Symbolism is essential to literature because it helps create meaning and emotion in a story. Imagery is crucial to literature because it helps create a vivid experience for the reader. Hawthorne uses both to draw the reader in.

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Imagery, something that allegorically speaks to something else, is unmistakable in numerous scholarly works. One bit of writing that emerges as an immaculate case of imagery is Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown. " This story is totally typical, and gives a decent case of a moral story, or a story in which solid things or characters speak to digest thoughts. Hawthorne utilizes both questions and individuals as images to better backing the symbolic tones all through "Youthful Goodman Brown." Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes distinctive individuals as images all through "Youthful Goodman Brown.

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In Hawthorne's story "Young Goodman Brown" it can be described as a moral allegory that illustrates the puritan doctrine of inherent depravity as the Brown. He tests his faith by entering the forest primeval by joining the man "of grave and decent attire" for an evening in the wilderness. It is apparent the symbols are of a religious nature. Hawthorne wrote in the time period known as the Romantic Period. Hawthorne's rejection of the Puritan belief system is the primary message of this story.

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Goodman Brown loses his faith in his humanity when evil prevails itself in many forms, leaving him to speculate the behavior and beliefs of everyone encircles around him. This story also contains similar Biblical characteristics of the sinful nature in man. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism to define that wickedness exist in all humanity and nothing is the way it seems. The story begins with Goodman Brown and his wife named Faith bartering a goodbye kiss.

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All people find themselves at the boundary between innocence and malevolence at some point in their lives. In Young Goodman Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorne writes the story of a man named Goodman Brown as he discovers the corruption of people he believed to be pure. This revelation causes him to question his Puritan faith and the faith of those around him. Hawthorne’s abundant use symbolism and imagery carries the reader through Brown’s development as he crosses the threshold from believing in what is good to what is evil.

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Goodman Brown was always pure, never letting anything manipulate him and he never gave in to evil. He was always kind towards his friends, family and peers. Brown’s character takes a change after he goes into the forest in an attempt to save Faith from evil. As he continues on his journey, the road around him “—grew wilder and drearier and more faintly traced, and vanished at length, leaving him in the heart of the dark wilderness, and still rushing onward with the instinct that guides mortal man to evil. The whole forest was filled with frightful sounds.”

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Author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, believed that “no man for any considerable period can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true” (“Nathaniel Hawthorne Quotes”). He expresses this ideology in the short story “Young Goodman Brown.” Here, the main character’s faith is tested by the Devil himself. The Devil shows Goodman that even the most pious members of the community follow him when they are alone. The author alludes to the thematic idea that everyone has his or her own inner evil through the unique setting, the inner conflict expressed by the protagonist, and the irony and symbolism behind the characters’ names and attributes.

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In Young Goodman Brown By Nathaniel Hawthrone, The story discusses the life of Goodman Brown during the Quakers/Puritans time period along with the Salem witch trials. This was one of the most nightmarish episodes in Puritan History. Now this is a really crucial topic because Nathaniel Hawthrone’s grandpa went through the Witch trials so it is kind of ironic to see Goodman Brown go through it. It's ironic because he wrote a short story about Goodman Brown and I think it kind of symbolizes his life. In case you don't know, the Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions.

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