Loss Of Faith In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown
To begin with, young Goodman brown’s wife, Faith, literally represent Goodman’s faith in the story. In the novel, it shows the reader specific occasion’s where Faith reveal’s herself as young Goodman’s only hope in this world and if that hope is lost than he is as well. In the story, “young Goodman Brown” after the Devil leaves Goodman Brown alone in the forest, Goodman States, “With heaven above and Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil!” as long as he has his “faith he will never give in. Later after he makes that statement he hears what sounds like Faith yelling from deep inside the forest so he runs after the screams and sees Faith’s pink ribbon implying that she has been taken away thus losing his sanity for his “faith”
has been taken from him. When Goodman Brown tells the devil that his family would never be in this situation, that they have been faithful to their religion, after the devil hears that he laughs and explains to young Goodman Brown that he has been “good friends” with his family for generations. The Author wanted to imply that no matter who you thought was a holy person, whether it would be a family member, friend, or someone of high status like that mayor, the devil had his claws in everyone. The big meeting at the end further proves this by having high ranking members of society present there like the Mayor and such. Nathaniel Hawthorn wanted to tell the readers that no matter who it is in society, anyone can be someone that they say they’re not. Near the end of the story the devil is quoted saying “Depending upon one another's hearts, ye had still hoped that virtue were not all a dream. Now are ye undeceived. Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness. Welcome again, my children. To the communion of your race” he’s implying that we are born evil and must die evil, there is no hope for us to be good because we cannot, and it is in our nature to be evil. I personally disagree with what he is saying main because there has been many times where random strangers have been in danger and someone that had no idea who they were, go and risk their very lives in order to help. If we were all truly “evil” than moments like that would never occur every single day. The devil goal was to make people lose their faith in humanity but most importantly, in themselves.
has been taken from him. When Goodman Brown tells the devil that his family would never be in this situation, that they have been faithful to their religion, after the devil hears that he laughs and explains to young Goodman Brown that he has been “good friends” with his family for generations. The Author wanted to imply that no matter who you thought was a holy person, whether it would be a family member, friend, or someone of high status like that mayor, the devil had his claws in everyone. The big meeting at the end further proves this by having high ranking members of society present there like the Mayor and such. Nathaniel Hawthorn wanted to tell the readers that no matter who it is in society, anyone can be someone that they say they’re not. Near the end of the story the devil is quoted saying “Depending upon one another's hearts, ye had still hoped that virtue were not all a dream. Now are ye undeceived. Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness. Welcome again, my children. To the communion of your race” he’s implying that we are born evil and must die evil, there is no hope for us to be good because we cannot, and it is in our nature to be evil. I personally disagree with what he is saying main because there has been many times where random strangers have been in danger and someone that had no idea who they were, go and risk their very lives in order to help. If we were all truly “evil” than moments like that would never occur every single day. The devil goal was to make people lose their faith in humanity but most importantly, in themselves.