Young Goodman Brown-The Awareness of Evil Creates a Gloomy Life

A detailed Summary of Young Goodman Brown-The Awareness of Evil Creates a Gloomy Life

The Awareness of Evil Creates a Gloomy Life

As children people seem to know nothing about the presence of evil on earth. The only "bad guys" we see or are aware of are on television or in comic books. Eventually everyone experiences certain events in their lives that change their whole perspective on life. We all become aware of evil on earth. This knowledge can either bring us down or we can brush it off and go on with our lives. In "Young Goodman Brown" a young man is confronted with life altering events that change his perspective of the world and the people of Salem village. These events, and the knowledge gained from them, create a miserable life for Brown. Hawthorne uses supernatural events, the uncertainty created by the dark forest setting, and encounters with trusted moral advisors to cause the rest of Brown's life to become gloomy.

First of all, Hawthorne uses supernatural events to make the rest of Goodman Brown's life gloomy. For example, Brown encounters a "black cloud mass" from which the "accents of the townspeople..., men and women, both pious and ungodly..."(56) were emanating. The voices of the townspeople coming from such an evil place lead Brown to believe all of the people he knows are evi

because he can no longer love or trust his wife knowing she as evil within her. Finally, Brown witnesses a rock rise form the forest "surrounded by four blazing pines, their tops aflame, their stems untouched"(57) which create enough light for Brown to see "a score of church members..., famous for their sanctity"(58). Brown is a very religious man and seeing church members at the Devil's meeting is devastating. Not only are the townspeople and his wife evil but the church members are as well. Brown's life is further pushed into gloom from this point because he becomes trapped in a town of evil so pervasive, not even the church is free of it. If the church, which is supposed to be immune to the Devil's evil, can succumb to it there is no telling how many of the townspeople are involved as well. All of these supernatural events cause Brown's life to become a gloomy one because of new knowledge he possesses.

Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown" presents a message that can be related to real life. There comes a time in everyone's life were they grow up and realize that things are not always as they seem. There are some evil people on this earth. We can accept it and go on with our lives or let it trouble us. Some of us accept what we learn and live our lives to the fullest with our new knowledge. Others, like Young Goodman Brown, live the rest of their lives miserably. Personally, I have learned that there is evil on this earth but I do not let it bother me. I try to enjoy life and have the most fun I can have while I am here.

woman, with dim features of despair"[58] that appeared to be his mother at the Devil's meeting. Brown had always seen his parents as very religious people, incapable of evil. With the knowledge of his parents secret life as Devil worshippers Brown becomes a gloomy p

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Approximate Word count = 1228
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels