young goodman brown
In "Young Goodman Brown," Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the tale of a man and his discovery of evil. But it is not only evil that Hawthorne is concerned with. He is also interested with the way evil affects his characters, Goodman Brown in particular. Through Hawthorne's use of structural techniques such as tone, setting and symbolism, he portrays the nature of evil and the psychological effects it can have on man. He shows how meeting the devil and discovering the existence of evil brings Brown to view the world in a cynical way. Brown's new realization is what haunts the rest of his days, and prevents him from living a happy life.Throughout much of the story, Hawthorne creates a serious and somber tone. From the start, the audience begins to sense that Brown will go through relentless agony due to his meeting with the devil. Hawthorne's diction in the opening paragraphs is a good indication of this. He uses words such as "melancholy", "evil", "dreary", and "grave" to evoke a certain mood in the reader. Brown's attitude and actions also portray this negative view. He ponders the hypocrisy of the Salem Village as well as that of the Puritans that live there. He examines the possibility that
Hawthorne's portrayal of the village as good and the forest as bad, adds significance to the fact that Brown begins his journey in the town and proceeds then to the forest. Hawthorne's use of imagery captures the appearance of the forest as well as lending a sense of foreboding towards the impending evil. He says Brown, "Had taken a dreary road, darkened by the gloomiest trees of the forest...It was all as lonely as it could be" (166). Immediately following this description, Brown speculates that he may not be alone in the forest. He fears that there may be a "devilish Indian" or "the devil himself" in his presence (166). He is disturbed by the fact that he "knows not who may be concealed by the innumerable trunks and the thick boughs overhead; so that with lonely footsteps he may yet be passing through an unseen multitude" (166). This suggests to the reader that he is no longer feeling the comfort and safety he felt at home and is suspicious of what lies ahead. Brown is fearful of his mission even before leaving. Upon entering the forest, he becomes victim to the possibility of the discovery and consequences of evil. In fact, it is in the forest where evil manifests itself to him in the form of an older man of the same dress and class as Brown. It is this experience, which ultimately affects his outlook of the world. Whether Brown's experience in the forest is real or a dream, the effect it has on him is detrimental to his psychological development. The figure of the devil welcomes the community saying, "Depending upon one another's hearts, ye still hoped that virtue were not all a dream. Now are ye undeceived. Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness. Welcome again
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1158
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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