Character Analysis:Nathaniel
Nathaniel Hawthorn’s, fiction writing “Young Goodman Brown” is about a Puritan man, Goodman Brown living in Salem. The literature takes place during the Salem witch trials a time in history when many Puritans were accused of performing witchcraft. The character Goodman Brown is faced with evil and is forced to examine others surrounding him. Goodman Browns encounter in the woods shows a side of the human spirit. Goodman Brown leaves his wife, Faith for an evening errand. Faith begs her husband not to leave but Goodman Brown fails to listen. The wife, Faith is the only symbol of hope for Goodman Brown. She is also the symbol of love between a man and a woman along with the love and faith for God. In Goodman Brown leaving Faith in the beginning, he is leaving his faith in God and in good.
Without Faith in his life, Goodman Brown has no faith in God or in good. Goodman Brown is counting on Faith to redeem him after his conflict with the devil. After Goodman Brown meets with the Devil and they begin dialogue. Goodman Brown then admits the reason for being late is because “Faith kept me back awhile” (Hawthorn 2). The words that came out of Goodman Brown’s mouth have a double meaning. His wife Faith causes him to be late to the meeting along with his faith in God.
Goodman Brown meets with a traveler in the woods who is carrying “his staff, which bore the likeness of a great black snake resembling a living serpent” (2). The traveler’s staff leads Goodman Brown to many locations and people destroying his faith. His faith begins to diminish when he learns about Goody Cloyse and her companionship with the devil along with his past family relations with the Devil. The Devil informs Goodman Brown that Goody Cloyse along with his fellow family members are his friends and they take many walks together along the same path Goodman Brown is walking. Goody Cloyse was his catechism teacher and she still is a spiritual leader in Salem. Goodman blames Goody
Without Faith in his life, Goodman Brown has no faith in God or in good. Goodman Brown is counting on Faith to redeem him after his conflict with the devil. After Goodman Brown meets with the Devil and they begin dialogue. Goodman Brown then admits the reason for being late is because “Faith kept me back awhile” (Hawthorn 2). The words that came out of Goodman Brown’s mouth have a double meaning. His wife Faith causes him to be late to the meeting along with his faith in God.
Goodman Brown meets with a traveler in the woods who is carrying “his staff, which bore the likeness of a great black snake resembling a living serpent” (2). The traveler’s staff leads Goodman Brown to many locations and people destroying his faith. His faith begins to diminish when he learns about Goody Cloyse and her companionship with the devil along with his past family relations with the Devil. The Devil informs Goodman Brown that Goody Cloyse along with his fellow family members are his friends and they take many walks together along the same path Goodman Brown is walking. Goody Cloyse was his catechism teacher and she still is a spiritual leader in Salem. Goodman blames Goody