young goodman brown
Ambiguity is the vagueness or uncertainty of meaning or intention. In ?Young Goodman Brown,? there are several ambiguities that make this story a little confusing to the reader: the setting, being in Salem Village; Goodman Brown?s wife, Faith; the pink ribbons from her cap; the traveler and the journey itself. This type of story can be a bit confusing to the reader but will really make him or her think about what he or she is reading. First of all, is it a coincidence that the setting is in Salem Village? The story could have taken place anywhere but it does not. It takes place in a village that is symbolic of evil. Salem Village has a rich history of witch-hunts that ended in witch trials in 1692, where of the two hundred accused, nineteen people were hanged and four died in prison awaiting trial (Tucker 624). The fact that the story takes place in Salem Village could lead the reader to believe that something dark and evil is going to happen somewhere in the story because some people associate the name Salem with witches. On the other hand, Hawthorne speaks of a minister, a deacon, and a teacher of catechism so this could lead one to believe this might be a story about a man on a religious journey.
Was Faith Goodman Brown?s wife or was it his faith in God? What did the pink ribbons really symbolize? Was the traveler a mortal man or was he Satan? Was the journey real or was it only a dream? The story, which may have been a dream, and not a real life event, planted the seed of doubt in Brown?s mind, which consequently cut him off from his fellow man and leaves him a miserable and bitter man. The pink ribbons in Faith?s cap come up several times in this story. The pink ribbons seem to be symbolic of more than one thing: femininity, delicacy and purity. Whenever the pink ribbons flutter down from the dark cloud and Goodman Brown says that his Faith is gone, one would assume that his wife is gone as opposed to his faith in God being gone. This assumption comes from the fact that there were pink ribbons in Faith?s cap. Every time we read about the pink ribbons we know that somehow Faith is involved. Whenever Goodman Brown meets up with the traveler, it could be assumed that this traveler is the Devil because Hawthorne describes this traveler as grave and wicked, yet well dressed. In fact, the traveler is never referred to as a man, only the figure of a man. The traveler might have been a friend of Brown
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 820
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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