Essay On The Use Of Allegory In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown
Jessica Wise
ENG 1020-121810
Essay 1
March 9th 2015
Hawthorne’s Use of Allegory in “Young Goodman Brown”
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “Young Goodman Brown” was published in 1835. The story takes place in late seventeenth century Massachusetts, a time when the Puritan faith was the central religion. This historical context was a time when people felt extremely passionate about their faith. This was especially true with the Puritan faith and the strict way it was practiced. Hawthorne narrates the story of a Puritan man who develops a deep emotional shift in his perception, as a result of seeing people close to him behaving in ways that significantly contradict the Puritan religion. Hawthorne tells the story through the eyes of a Puritan …show more content…
Brown sees a very pious member of the community, one who actually was involved with his spiritual upbringing, conversing with the devil. Hawthorne then tells that Brown experiences serious confusion at this contradiction, “He had caste up his eyes in astonishment… ‘That old woman taught me my catechism!’ and there was a world of meaning in this simple comment”(345). Hawthorne uses Brown’s reaction to seeing Goody Cloyse as a witch, as an allegory for the confusion and anger Puritan’s experience from seeing other’s contradict their faith. As the story continues, Brown sees his deacon, minister, parents, Faith, and all the most religious and seemingly incorruptible members of the community partaking in satanic practices. These sights leave Brown feeling bitter and skeptical of those around him, as he re-enters the community, and for the rest of his life. Hawthorne concludes by summarizing Brown’s new skeptical and hopeless perspective, “Often, waking suddenly at midnight, he shrank from the bosom of Faith, and at morning or eventide, when the family knelt down in prayer, he scowled and muttered to himself, and glazed sternly at his wife and turned away”(350). He uses this shift in Brown as an allegory for the anger and skepticism Puritans would
ENG 1020-121810
Essay 1
March 9th 2015
Hawthorne’s Use of Allegory in “Young Goodman Brown”
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “Young Goodman Brown” was published in 1835. The story takes place in late seventeenth century Massachusetts, a time when the Puritan faith was the central religion. This historical context was a time when people felt extremely passionate about their faith. This was especially true with the Puritan faith and the strict way it was practiced. Hawthorne narrates the story of a Puritan man who develops a deep emotional shift in his perception, as a result of seeing people close to him behaving in ways that significantly contradict the Puritan religion. Hawthorne tells the story through the eyes of a Puritan …show more content…
Brown sees a very pious member of the community, one who actually was involved with his spiritual upbringing, conversing with the devil. Hawthorne then tells that Brown experiences serious confusion at this contradiction, “He had caste up his eyes in astonishment… ‘That old woman taught me my catechism!’ and there was a world of meaning in this simple comment”(345). Hawthorne uses Brown’s reaction to seeing Goody Cloyse as a witch, as an allegory for the confusion and anger Puritan’s experience from seeing other’s contradict their faith. As the story continues, Brown sees his deacon, minister, parents, Faith, and all the most religious and seemingly incorruptible members of the community partaking in satanic practices. These sights leave Brown feeling bitter and skeptical of those around him, as he re-enters the community, and for the rest of his life. Hawthorne concludes by summarizing Brown’s new skeptical and hopeless perspective, “Often, waking suddenly at midnight, he shrank from the bosom of Faith, and at morning or eventide, when the family knelt down in prayer, he scowled and muttered to himself, and glazed sternly at his wife and turned away”(350). He uses this shift in Brown as an allegory for the anger and skepticism Puritans would