Nathaniel Hawthorn was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804 during Puritan times. He created many stories that reflect his life experiences growing up as a Puritan. He writes stories that end with a moral that was learned through the struggles of the characters. These characters are almost always faced with a dilemma where they must choose what is right versus what is wrong. Another common theme in his writing is alienation. I will explore these concepts through the analytical analysis of the stories "Young Goodman Brown," "The Minister's Black Veil," and "The Birth Mark." These stories are all about a life altering decision one must face and the consequences of that decision.

The story, "Young Goodman Brown," is about a man named Goodman Brown who must leave his wife Faith to go on a fateful journey - a journey whose reason is left to speculation. He must go into the local forest, refuse the temptations of the devil, and return to the village before sunrise. He embarks on this journey and returns a changed man for the evils he encountered made him lose his faith in the community around him. The decision or struggle that Brown i

The stories are all similar as they are about a character that is faced with a moral dilemma and alienation. The main characters in "Young Goodman Brown," "The Ministers Black Veil," and "The Birth Mark," are all deeply religious people who are obsessed with fulfilling their religious faith and living in a pious nature. This obsession ironically leads them into sin and a life full of despair. Young Goodman Brown loses his faith on a journey that he is not is even sure was real. The strength of his belief was weak in the sense that he was so easily led to abandon it. He does not know what is real or what is right and decides to shut the world out - trusting no one. He alienates himself from those he knew and loved for the chance that he may lose his faith in God and succumb to the devil. Minister Hooper in "The Minister's Black Veil" is very similar to the character Goodman Brown in that he too is hiding from sin and alienating himself from his community. They are both afraid to face their fears so they hind behind their respective veils. In "The Birth Mark" a woman named Georgiana is alienated by her husband because of a slight imperfection on an otherwise perfect face. He is obsessed with this flaw and feels he must rid her of it to fully accept her. In removing what nature intended, he kills her. These three main characters are all seeking perfection, whether in faith or appearance. Their refusal to accept anything less leads to their ultimate downfall.

s faced with in the story is between the evil temptations that lurk in the forest and the proper church abiding life. He knows what he must do upon entering the forest and he dreads the deed.

The story, "The Birth Mark," is another instance where Hawthorne plays with the concepts of morality, sin, and alienation. A scientist named Aylmer believes that the crimson birthmark on his wife Georgiana's cheek is symbolic of an evil his wife possesses. He is convinced that in order to "save" her soul it must be removed. She finally agrees, and ends up dying from the procedure.

"You are late, Goodman Brown," said he. "The clock of the Old South was striking, as I came through Boston; and that is full fifteen minutes agone."

His resistance to the evil is strong at first but then wavers when he and the devil run into his old catechism teacher who does not resist the Devil and is "turned." Brown cannot resist and goes further into the forest. He is looking for reassurance in the Heavens but hears nothing but crying and wailing. When he reaches the final destination, he sees all of his townspeople engaged in a satanic ritual of some sort - his Faith included. This is the moment at whi

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Approximate Word count = 1800
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)