Alice Walker's Young Goodman Brown: Community Analysis
Community cannot for long feed on itself; it can only flourish with the coming of others from beyond”- Howard Thurman. The role of community in literature is used to question the meaning of community, to explore conflict and further analyse the cultural semiotics of a community.In Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”, community creates a segregation between personal semiotics and communal tradition.Communities require the evolution of the forbidden to forge the prospering of cultural semiotics and acceptance of ‘otherness’ influences.This essay explores the aspect of exclusion within a community; continuing to analyse the setting. Finally, this essay concludes by portraying the possibility of new perspectives
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that stray from tradition. In Alice Walker’s work, the role of community creates a segregation between members of the family by creating an aporia between the family. Each member of the family understands their heritage in a different manner causing a clash of opinions and thus the effect of the insider outsider complex. Maggie wishes she could embrace change and her culture in the same way her sister does but feels the need to follow what she knows. Dee continues to question her mother's and sister’s understanding of their history. The narrative notes “Maggie will stand ashamed of her burn scars eyeing her sister with a mixture of envy and awe” (Walker, 2) for Maggie believes that Dee has it all figured out “holding the world in the palm of her one hand” (2). On the other hand, Dee continues to feel oppressed by the presence of her name. She says “ I couldn’t bear it any longer being named after the people who oppress me” (5). Walker explores the difference of opinions that occur within a community by creating a sense of exclusion within the family. In other words, a beyond influence would allow for the family to understand that there is no right or wrong answer so they all feel welcomed. By comparison, Nathaniel Hawthorne demonstrates the dichotomy within a community.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s narrative, the role of community rests in a puritan community known as Salem. Salem is a beacon of faith, a stronghold of Christ. Each of the members are expected to be faithful with no curiosity, no doubt of their obligation to tradition and to always forbid themselves from straying from the community. This process fortifies the interior and excludes the exterior to create a considerable dichotomy within the community. However, human nature allows for individuals to crave that is forbidden therefore creating a predicament regarding the insider outsider complex. Young Goodman brown feels like an outsider within his own community because he searches for more that what he is given. Young Goodman brown feels ostracized due to the fact that he is curious of the world outside the community. For example when he says “ our saint like lives and triumphant deaths, future bliss or misery unutterable” (Hawthorne, 9) Goodman Brown wishes to reference how the members of his community continue to lead the lives they are expected to yet will silently suffer in misery since they do not wish to be the one who speaks out against their community. All in all, a community thrives when everyone feels unified in the same beliefs but that will never happen seeing as there are always differences among people so be accepting of new things, of otherness in order to truly be happy rather than being forced to hide your misery.
The two stories both explore the effects of the insider outsider complex on a community and the extremity of the role this complex has on the prosperity of a community. The two encourage the bringing together of opinions in order to feel comfortable with one another and how a community will only thrive from the influence of different opinion from beyond the limits of the community. Alice Walker’s narrative explores the effects of otherness within a family where as Nathaniel Hawthorne focuses more on the impact regarding an individual within a town.
Everyday Use illustrates the impact of being stuck in the past despite the prosperity of new through the description of the setting. Everyday Use has a setting described to be meager, a house that defines the meaning of poverty. The family home has a roof made of tin and has holes in place of windows (Walker, 4). However, Dee deemed the house unnecessary for the lives of her family when she writes to her mama “ no matter where you choose to live I will come visit” (4). Perhaps this demonstrates the clinging of the past that both mama and Maggie are experiencing by holding on to past that they don’t need to hold onto. Also, the old family home is mentioned to be the same however a slight variation of the roof compared to the new home. The burning of the old home may represent when Dee found it in herself to let go of past to move on to greater things, a new life. Yet, once the family moved into a similar home with a stronger roof may represent the stronghold of the family's history. All in all, The family, particularly mama and maggie could live a ‘better’ lifestyle if they wanted to let go of their past and open up to the otherness that surrounds them. This setting explores the different aspects of the family traditions and the impact traditions may hold on each individual character. To correlate, Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates the acceptance of otherness within a community by exploring the setting.
Hawthorne illustrates the impact of otherness on a community through the use of setting.
In the story, Young Goodman Brown comes from a puritan community that has a strong sense of dystopia. Everyone must be the same and have same faith. However, just outside the edge of the community lays a darkened forest demonstrating the role of the devil , the role of otherness. Yet within all communities come curious individuals such as Goodman Brown who search for meaning beyond the boundaries of his community. Hawthorne notes “ he took a dark a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest”(Hawthorne, 1). This goes to show that the forest is seen as a place that one should not enter for bad things lie within this devilish outside world for “ a devilish Indian may be behind every tree”(1). Hawthorne’s setting illustrates the role of otherness by painting a dark and frowned upon outside world. The setting attempts to limit the characters to the boundaries of their community through the use of eerie surroundings. Regardless of this setback the main character continues to feel ostracised and thus searches the otherness that surrounds his everyday life. The community of salem is holding onto their traditional outlooks on otherness, pushing away the things they can not relate to, the outside world. But, as a community they would be stronger if they were to be more inclusive and took the time to learn from these beyond …show more content…
influences.
In the end, both stories the attachment to tradition is present by the community with the exception of characters who dream of expanding their horizons. In Everyday use, the house represents being stuck in the past in the tradition. Whereas, in Young Goodman Brown, the forest represents wanting to leave tradition and expand his own horizons.
Alice Walker develops a discussion regarding individual pathways within a community. She discusses a community regarding those of African descent specifically a family belonging to this community. In this family, each of the sisters has their own personal opinion concerning their approach to their family history and the culture of their community. Maggie wants to mend the cultural gap: bring the past to the future in order to build upon the past. Whereas, Dee wants to completely forget about the path and reforge her own future. Walker demonstrates the role of community to be imaginary and thus have an elasticity factor. In other words, her narrative poses the question what does it mean to be a part of this community? However, each person is shaped by their personal semiotics and results in each individual to envision the community they belong to. Nonetheless, Maggie and Dee have opposing views resulting in one hoping to influence the other. As Dee states “you ought to try and make something for yourself,too, Maggie” (Walker, 8) she hopes that her sister will change her outlook and follow in her footsteps. Dee continues to feel a sense of anger and contempt due to the fact that her family has not progressed within the community and keeps going back towards the past,“ It’s really a new day for us but from the way you and mama still live you’d never know it” (8). Dee seeks a futuristic materialistic knowledge that her mother and sister have inhibited themselves from. Dee and Maggie both have different perspectives within their own community and Dee pleads for her family to see a new perspective. Walker discusses the elasticity and meaning or lack there of with regards to community through the description of Dee and her relationship with her family members. By comparison, Young Goodman Brown questions the authenticity of tradition and searches for a new opinion in the beyond.
Nathaniel Hawthorne presents the imaginative sense of community amongst the character of Young Goodman Brown .
He wanted to follow his curiosity, to explore a new perspective of the world outside of the community in hope of building his character and most importantly to test his faith. Despite his longing to discover the unknown, Goodman Brown had his doubts to pursue this new pathway. When he first enters the forest, he comes across a figure who addresses the prolongation of his journey to which Goodman Brown responds‘“faith had kept me back awhile”(Hawthorne, 2). Community provides a sense of belonging to each of its members regardless of the belief of each individual causing him to be anxious to commence his journey. He knew the journey would completely ostracize himself from the community by going to explore the otherness and had to take his time to follow his curiosity. However, he still believed in his faith in his community as that was the only place for which he belonged. He continues to follow some traditions while on his journey when he “with heaven above and faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil”(5). Due to the fact that communities are imagined to meet the aspirations of each member of a community it is rather difficult to have a well functioning utopian society. However, Young Goodman Brown wishes to explore the outside world to learn new pathways or new experiences that he can apply to his community. Despite this, it would only be possible if
a community were to come together to accept otherness and beyond influences to expand their beliefs.
In both stories, community is regarded as an imaginary sense of belonging that does not appreciate the difference of an outside world. In Eve’s Diary each family member held their own opinion about their heritage and what it means to them. Similarly, in Young Goodman Brown, the main character belongs to a community in which he does not feel apart of due to his curiosity of the taboo. The role of community has been examined to have prospering cultural semiotics by the evolution of forbidden and the acceptance of ‘otherness’. This essay questioned the roles of exclusion within communities, the author’s setting, and straying from tradition.Howard Thurman states that community flourishes through exposure to otherness. A community will not thrive solely on tradition and creating a dichotomy, such prospering requires the acceptance of other influences from beyond the community.
that stray from tradition. In Alice Walker’s work, the role of community creates a segregation between members of the family by creating an aporia between the family. Each member of the family understands their heritage in a different manner causing a clash of opinions and thus the effect of the insider outsider complex. Maggie wishes she could embrace change and her culture in the same way her sister does but feels the need to follow what she knows. Dee continues to question her mother's and sister’s understanding of their history. The narrative notes “Maggie will stand ashamed of her burn scars eyeing her sister with a mixture of envy and awe” (Walker, 2) for Maggie believes that Dee has it all figured out “holding the world in the palm of her one hand” (2). On the other hand, Dee continues to feel oppressed by the presence of her name. She says “ I couldn’t bear it any longer being named after the people who oppress me” (5). Walker explores the difference of opinions that occur within a community by creating a sense of exclusion within the family. In other words, a beyond influence would allow for the family to understand that there is no right or wrong answer so they all feel welcomed. By comparison, Nathaniel Hawthorne demonstrates the dichotomy within a community.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s narrative, the role of community rests in a puritan community known as Salem. Salem is a beacon of faith, a stronghold of Christ. Each of the members are expected to be faithful with no curiosity, no doubt of their obligation to tradition and to always forbid themselves from straying from the community. This process fortifies the interior and excludes the exterior to create a considerable dichotomy within the community. However, human nature allows for individuals to crave that is forbidden therefore creating a predicament regarding the insider outsider complex. Young Goodman brown feels like an outsider within his own community because he searches for more that what he is given. Young Goodman brown feels ostracized due to the fact that he is curious of the world outside the community. For example when he says “ our saint like lives and triumphant deaths, future bliss or misery unutterable” (Hawthorne, 9) Goodman Brown wishes to reference how the members of his community continue to lead the lives they are expected to yet will silently suffer in misery since they do not wish to be the one who speaks out against their community. All in all, a community thrives when everyone feels unified in the same beliefs but that will never happen seeing as there are always differences among people so be accepting of new things, of otherness in order to truly be happy rather than being forced to hide your misery.
The two stories both explore the effects of the insider outsider complex on a community and the extremity of the role this complex has on the prosperity of a community. The two encourage the bringing together of opinions in order to feel comfortable with one another and how a community will only thrive from the influence of different opinion from beyond the limits of the community. Alice Walker’s narrative explores the effects of otherness within a family where as Nathaniel Hawthorne focuses more on the impact regarding an individual within a town.
Everyday Use illustrates the impact of being stuck in the past despite the prosperity of new through the description of the setting. Everyday Use has a setting described to be meager, a house that defines the meaning of poverty. The family home has a roof made of tin and has holes in place of windows (Walker, 4). However, Dee deemed the house unnecessary for the lives of her family when she writes to her mama “ no matter where you choose to live I will come visit” (4). Perhaps this demonstrates the clinging of the past that both mama and Maggie are experiencing by holding on to past that they don’t need to hold onto. Also, the old family home is mentioned to be the same however a slight variation of the roof compared to the new home. The burning of the old home may represent when Dee found it in herself to let go of past to move on to greater things, a new life. Yet, once the family moved into a similar home with a stronger roof may represent the stronghold of the family's history. All in all, The family, particularly mama and maggie could live a ‘better’ lifestyle if they wanted to let go of their past and open up to the otherness that surrounds them. This setting explores the different aspects of the family traditions and the impact traditions may hold on each individual character. To correlate, Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates the acceptance of otherness within a community by exploring the setting.
Hawthorne illustrates the impact of otherness on a community through the use of setting.
In the story, Young Goodman Brown comes from a puritan community that has a strong sense of dystopia. Everyone must be the same and have same faith. However, just outside the edge of the community lays a darkened forest demonstrating the role of the devil , the role of otherness. Yet within all communities come curious individuals such as Goodman Brown who search for meaning beyond the boundaries of his community. Hawthorne notes “ he took a dark a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest”(Hawthorne, 1). This goes to show that the forest is seen as a place that one should not enter for bad things lie within this devilish outside world for “ a devilish Indian may be behind every tree”(1). Hawthorne’s setting illustrates the role of otherness by painting a dark and frowned upon outside world. The setting attempts to limit the characters to the boundaries of their community through the use of eerie surroundings. Regardless of this setback the main character continues to feel ostracised and thus searches the otherness that surrounds his everyday life. The community of salem is holding onto their traditional outlooks on otherness, pushing away the things they can not relate to, the outside world. But, as a community they would be stronger if they were to be more inclusive and took the time to learn from these beyond …show more content…
influences.
In the end, both stories the attachment to tradition is present by the community with the exception of characters who dream of expanding their horizons. In Everyday use, the house represents being stuck in the past in the tradition. Whereas, in Young Goodman Brown, the forest represents wanting to leave tradition and expand his own horizons.
Alice Walker develops a discussion regarding individual pathways within a community. She discusses a community regarding those of African descent specifically a family belonging to this community. In this family, each of the sisters has their own personal opinion concerning their approach to their family history and the culture of their community. Maggie wants to mend the cultural gap: bring the past to the future in order to build upon the past. Whereas, Dee wants to completely forget about the path and reforge her own future. Walker demonstrates the role of community to be imaginary and thus have an elasticity factor. In other words, her narrative poses the question what does it mean to be a part of this community? However, each person is shaped by their personal semiotics and results in each individual to envision the community they belong to. Nonetheless, Maggie and Dee have opposing views resulting in one hoping to influence the other. As Dee states “you ought to try and make something for yourself,too, Maggie” (Walker, 8) she hopes that her sister will change her outlook and follow in her footsteps. Dee continues to feel a sense of anger and contempt due to the fact that her family has not progressed within the community and keeps going back towards the past,“ It’s really a new day for us but from the way you and mama still live you’d never know it” (8). Dee seeks a futuristic materialistic knowledge that her mother and sister have inhibited themselves from. Dee and Maggie both have different perspectives within their own community and Dee pleads for her family to see a new perspective. Walker discusses the elasticity and meaning or lack there of with regards to community through the description of Dee and her relationship with her family members. By comparison, Young Goodman Brown questions the authenticity of tradition and searches for a new opinion in the beyond.
Nathaniel Hawthorne presents the imaginative sense of community amongst the character of Young Goodman Brown .
He wanted to follow his curiosity, to explore a new perspective of the world outside of the community in hope of building his character and most importantly to test his faith. Despite his longing to discover the unknown, Goodman Brown had his doubts to pursue this new pathway. When he first enters the forest, he comes across a figure who addresses the prolongation of his journey to which Goodman Brown responds‘“faith had kept me back awhile”(Hawthorne, 2). Community provides a sense of belonging to each of its members regardless of the belief of each individual causing him to be anxious to commence his journey. He knew the journey would completely ostracize himself from the community by going to explore the otherness and had to take his time to follow his curiosity. However, he still believed in his faith in his community as that was the only place for which he belonged. He continues to follow some traditions while on his journey when he “with heaven above and faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil”(5). Due to the fact that communities are imagined to meet the aspirations of each member of a community it is rather difficult to have a well functioning utopian society. However, Young Goodman Brown wishes to explore the outside world to learn new pathways or new experiences that he can apply to his community. Despite this, it would only be possible if
a community were to come together to accept otherness and beyond influences to expand their beliefs.
In both stories, community is regarded as an imaginary sense of belonging that does not appreciate the difference of an outside world. In Eve’s Diary each family member held their own opinion about their heritage and what it means to them. Similarly, in Young Goodman Brown, the main character belongs to a community in which he does not feel apart of due to his curiosity of the taboo. The role of community has been examined to have prospering cultural semiotics by the evolution of forbidden and the acceptance of ‘otherness’. This essay questioned the roles of exclusion within communities, the author’s setting, and straying from tradition.Howard Thurman states that community flourishes through exposure to otherness. A community will not thrive solely on tradition and creating a dichotomy, such prospering requires the acceptance of other influences from beyond the community.