Loss of Innocence in “Young Goodman Brown”
American literature grew much through the early 1800s. The second Great Awakening contributed much to this growth. Its effects were far-reaching, and with it came the subgenre of Transendentenalism, highly influenced by religion. This subgenre conveys the belief that man is generally good, innocent, and meant to be pious and God-fearing. Of course not everyone agreed with this sentiment, and soon followed the subgenre of Dark Romanticism. The two are similar in that their stories are often moral allegories, but the morals and their meanings differ greatly. Dark romanticism paints man as inherently evil, constantly walking the path of corruption (though many times unintentionally). Young Goodman Brown is a textbook example of a dark romantic story. The author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, takes it a step further, pointing out the hypocrisy within the Puritan religion, and by extension many other religions as well. By the end of the story, Hawthorne makes it clear that regardless of how pious one might be, innocence is fragile, and the truth is like fire against the silk veil of illusion that we perceive as innocence.
Goodman Brown is the average man. Innocent (though not entirely), and pious. As the title states, he is young. With …show more content…
Hawthorne’s ambiguity results in many interpretations of the moral told in this short story. My interpretation, based off of Brown’s loss of innocence, is that regardless of how pious one is perceived to be, innocence is fragile, and the truth is like fire against the silk veil of illusion that innocence is. Brown experiences this after seeing Cloyse reveal her true colors in the woods that dark night, followed by the Deacon, and later the rest of Salem. The innocent, naïve Goodman described in the beginning becomes a completely different man after learning the
American literature grew much through the early 1800s. The second Great Awakening contributed much to this growth. Its effects were far-reaching, and with it came the subgenre of Transendentenalism, highly influenced by religion. This subgenre conveys the belief that man is generally good, innocent, and meant to be pious and God-fearing. Of course not everyone agreed with this sentiment, and soon followed the subgenre of Dark Romanticism. The two are similar in that their stories are often moral allegories, but the morals and their meanings differ greatly. Dark romanticism paints man as inherently evil, constantly walking the path of corruption (though many times unintentionally). Young Goodman Brown is a textbook example of a dark romantic story. The author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, takes it a step further, pointing out the hypocrisy within the Puritan religion, and by extension many other religions as well. By the end of the story, Hawthorne makes it clear that regardless of how pious one might be, innocence is fragile, and the truth is like fire against the silk veil of illusion that we perceive as innocence.
Goodman Brown is the average man. Innocent (though not entirely), and pious. As the title states, he is young. With …show more content…
Hawthorne’s ambiguity results in many interpretations of the moral told in this short story. My interpretation, based off of Brown’s loss of innocence, is that regardless of how pious one is perceived to be, innocence is fragile, and the truth is like fire against the silk veil of illusion that innocence is. Brown experiences this after seeing Cloyse reveal her true colors in the woods that dark night, followed by the Deacon, and later the rest of Salem. The innocent, naïve Goodman described in the beginning becomes a completely different man after learning the