The Moral Ambiguity of Young Goodman Brown
Young Goodman Brown is a story in which the proper morals the Puritans give way to sexual fantasy. In the beginning Brown leaves civilization to partake on a journey into evil. Journeying into a forest, which represents the unknown and the evil according to Puritan beliefs. Leaving behind his wife, Faith, the epitome of innocence, which is not what Brown's true soul desires. As he leaves his wife, her begging him not to go leads to his thoughts about how he's glad she doesn't know what his journey entails, making the reader wonder what sort of evil he had planned for the future. Perhaps having thoughts or fantasies of sexual encounters, going to a forest for something like a prostitute, or the forest symbolizing the evil of infidelity or a symbolic embodiment of a whore.He desires the unrefined, the dark, and the witchlike. As Brown approached the entrance to the forest, he encounters a dark being appearing aesthetically similar to himself, only older. This dark figure is Brown's true subconscious, and maybe even his soul, which is touring him through the sexual experience of the forest. As he enters into the forest, Brown speaks of all the good men who never went as deep into the forest and at that moment Goody
and set forth again..." With staff in hand, Brown is seemingly now ready to fly along this path until the path eventually disappears. Then the Deacon Gookin and minister comes by and how interesting the meeting will be and that a young woman is to be taken into communion. Brown's conscious side of his mind (his superego) then starts to take charge and states, "with heaven above and Faith below I will..." hoping that God will lead him back into the arms of his faith, Faith having both the meaning of his faith in God and the name of his wife Faith, and help him stand firmly against the devil. The dark figure didn't really didn't throw Brown the maple stick, but it appeared that way to Brown because he had been speaking with his subconscious as a separate being. The stick had been with Brown all along and when it turned dry to the touch symbolized his sexual arousal. Almost as a reference to female's juices, "wet with morning dew" the dryness caused by his touch just made Brown want to seek the moistness once again. He barely has a second thought about the harshness of his infidelity at this time. He stated that he should be spending the night with his sweet innocent wife Faith, but then it only took the spirit or serpent that is with him (his subconscious ness) a second to convince him otherwise. states, "that woman taught me my catechism," and the story states that there is a world of meaning in that comment. First, one must not read it in an outraged or negative tone, but in an aroused of excited tone. This statement showed the beginning of Brown
Some common words found in the essay are:
Goodman Brown, Deacon Gookin, Goody Cloyse, Brown Meaning, goodman brown, dark figure, wife faith, writing stick, woman taught, name wife, sexual experience, sin name, sexual encounters, brown's true,
Approximate Word count = 1062
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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