The Ambiguity Of Sin In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

Improved Essays
Although there were many virtuous characters throughout the story, such as Goody Cloyse, the minister, Faith, and Deacon Gookin, one thing that they all had in common was how they were all susceptible to sin. Starting off with Mrs. Cloyse, Goodman Brown noted how she was the one who taught him his catechism and was still his moral and spiritual adviser. (). Needless to say, he was shocked to see her make her way to the evil communion. This shock is further intensified when the minister as well the clergyman march their way to the witches Sabbath. In fact by seeing those two “holy man… journeying deep into the heathen wilderness,” this causes Goodman Brown to question if “…there really was a heaven above him” (). Mr. Brown lashes onto his wife, Faith, for the last ounce of hope he …show more content…
These holy idols are supposed to set an example on how to live a pure and innocent life, yet even they have trouble following this strict religious code that is enacted in the Puritan’s way of life. For Miller, the author of “Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”: Cynicism or Meliorism?,” he believes that Goodman Brown “…represents those weaker members of a puritanical society who are traumatized, arrested in their spiritual development, and finally destroyed by the discovery that their society is full of “Whited spulchres.”” He further goes on and states that “Others in such a society , with more strength but less moral sensitivity than Brown, recognize the power of hypocrisy to give the appearance of Virtue, and capitalize on this discovery to rise to the highest positions of secular and religious authority” (262). This accentuate the notion that nothing good comes out of a religion that forces strict moral values. Often time it is taken advantage so people can use it as a leverage or in most cases

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Young Goodman Brown’s opinion of Puritans can be linked directly to his admiration for Goody Cloyse, Deacon Gookin, and the minister. Young Goodman Brown says that Goody Cloyse, Deacon Gookin, and…

    • 332 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the short story Goodman brown the main character ventures off into the woods with the devil one last time to enjoy himself in some debauchery. The character meets face to face with the devil, and evidently the devil appearance resembles him quite greatly the only difference is that he seems to be aged. Which demonstrates clearly that all mankind does have a side that is evil. Goodman brown continues his adventures with the devil believing that he could return back to the graces of god by using his wife as a tether. It so happens that as he ventures further through the woods he comes across faith his wife, pink ribbon and, realizes that faith has fallen.…

    • 1015 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    She was the one person her husband believed to be absolute goodness. Even the demonic town’s people going to the forest meeting described her as a goodly women. Faith with all the appearances of purity and goodness, right down to the wearing of pink ribbons in her hair, is the most painfully corrupt and evil person. Mrs. Brown was so determined to know the secret sins of others. She had to uncontrollable urge to know the mystery of sin, and was able to hide this so well from everyone.…

    • 1102 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    As Brown leaves his home in Salem, Brown says to his wife that he must leave Salem for one night only and his wife needs to pray before falling asleep at an early time. Brown tells his wife that she will be safe if she does what he says. When Brown left his home, he noticed that Faith was looking at him with a “melancholy air”; Brown thought to himself, “Poor little Faith!” Brown decides to choose a road that goes through the dreary forest. While traveling through the woods, Brown met an old man who shared a striking resemblance to him.…

    • 1136 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Nathaniel Hawthorne is trying to get across to the reader that faith can protect them, just like Faith tries to protect Young Goodman Brown. As Brown enters the forest, he meets a traveler. The traveler tries to convince him into going a little further, but Brown says that his wife would be heartbroken if she found out that he was…

    • 756 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The story opens with Goodman Brown leaving his town, Salem, as he heads to a witches’ meeting. Upon his arrival, Brown finds many of whom he thought to be honorable men and women from Salem. However, the most devastating find is his wife, the innocent and pure Faith. Brown, taken aback by everyone’s submission to the Devil refuses to take part in the Black Sacrament.…

    • 834 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The latter part of Hawthorne’s short story focuses on how Young Goodman Brown felt after returning from the woods, and the meeting with the devil. He returns to town and ignores everyone he comes in contact with, heading straight into his house. Then, on Sabbath day, while the church goers sang holy psalms,“...he could not listen because an anthem of sin rushed loudly upon his ear and drowned all the blessed strain” (Hawthorne 12). Young Goodman Brown cannot listen to the holy psalms because of the guilt he feels inside,sitting in a holy place when he has committed a sin. Because of that, Brown became “a stern, a sad, and a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not desperate man” (12).…

    • 1461 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    The short story begins with Goodman leaving his wife, Faith, to journey into the Salem forest for unknown reasons. He meets a familiar man, presumably the devil, in the forest, carrying a staff resembling a serpent. Goodman attempts to protest the journey, but the devil informs Goodman that his father and grandfather had taken the same journey, along with many others. Along the path, the pair come across Goodman’s Sunday school teacher, Goody Cloyse, who appears to be a witch. Goodman decides to stop walking, and the other two continue on alone, until Faith’s pink ribbon appears in the forest.…

    • 1377 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    However, Brown resists going through with his agreement to follow the Traveler, as the evil ahead is against his family’s Christian beliefs. Goodman Brown also fears that Faith’s heart would be broken were he ever to join the evil that she had dreamt about. The Traveler eventually allows Brown to leave at his own will and Goodman Brown appears to fall asleep in the forest. Yet it is unclear whether the events that follow are a dream or reality and because of his guilt, Brown dies with no good in his heart. Looking from the beginning of the story to when Goodman Brown mentions a covenant to the Traveler, focusing on Brown, Faith, and the Traveler’s dialogue and the narration, we can see Goodman Brown is not a valid model for imitation; however, looking at “Young Goodman Brown” from when Goodman Brown first wants to turn back to when they first see Goody Cloyse walking in the forest, focusing on Goodman Brown’s dialogue and the narration, we can see Goodman Brown is also a valid model for…

    • 1385 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    All things that are pure during the daytime can change at night. At night evil things can corrupt you to do things that you don’t even want to do you have to hold on to Faith the way Goodman Brown held on. Losing his faith was his worst mistake it made become an evil-being to the people in Salem Village but he had only seen the evil in other people which caused his change of life. The moral is everything that is good to in the public eye is different behind closed doors. So be careful who you let lead your life you never know their living maybe evil behind closed…

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Goodman Brown Religion

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages

    At the very beginning of Goodman Brown’s journey he said to himself,"What if the devil himself should be at my very elbow!" when he said this, he had no idea of how true it really was. How is a man to behave when he sees his entire religion collapsed before his eyes in just a single night? In the story of Young Goodman Brown (1835) it is demonstrated just how fragile public morality really is. This story follows Goodman Brown throughout his loss of faith.…

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Not even “Goodman” Brown is excluded from becoming exposed to evil. The story depicts that religion, spirituality, and a life of morality does not disqualify anyone complete…

    • 156 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    (Hawthorne 1). The significance here is in strengthening the connection Faith and faith as well as demonstrating that what Young Goodman Brown is doing goes against both his wife’s wished and his religious…

    • 1433 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While going on his anxiety-ridden journey through the forest, Young Goodman Brown comes into contact with many people he once thought he could trust. One of these people is his wife, Faith. This really affects the man because she is his wife and he is so easy to lose trust in people at this point of the story. Brown, upon seeing Faith’s pink ribbon, says “My Faith is gone! There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name.…

    • 1097 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Goody identifies the man as the devil and told him that he is witch, on her way to the evil forest ceremony. After, the man gives Goodman Brown his staff to transport to the ceremony if he changes his mind of going back for Faith’s sake. He soon saw the minister of the church and Deacon Gookin, and they are also on their way to the ceremony. Then Goodman Brown…

    • 733 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays