Fate orFface? Young Goodman Br
"Young Goodman Brown" is short story about a young Puritan man who sets out on a journey through the forest to witness a witch ceremony, leaving his wife, Faith. He must resist the devil's temptation and return to her at sunrise, as promised. On his journey Brown experiences events that alter his way of thinking forever. This story is centered around the concept of Faith. Faith is used to show the extent to which religion can become the driving force in one's life. Faith is defined as an "unquestionable belief in and loyalty to God" (Guralmick 502). Faith can control one's behavior and manipulate one's mind in the same way that one's extreme face or pride can. Goodman let his excessive pride in himself destroy his relationship with his wife and community, and his ability to worship God. Goodman Brown goes into the woods to meet with the devil, therefore, he is questioning his faith from the start. He steps away from his faith for a short period of time to go on his journey saying that, "After this one night, I'll cling to her (Faith) skirts and follow her to Heaven" (Hawthorne 1). This is one example where Goodman's excessive pride comes in to play. He feels that he can do this sinful deed because he
Brown sees his old catechism teacher, Goody Cloyse, befriending the devil and speaking of witchery. She accepts the devil's staff and continues through the woods to the communion. Young Goodman Brown's faith is not destroyed yet. He shows his faith is stronger than ever when he refused to go on and he says, "With Heaven above and faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil" (Hawthorne 5). Goodman's pride begins to build as he thinks about how strong he is for refusing the devil's temptations. When Goodman hears Deacon Gookin discussing the communion, he "looked up to the sky, doubting whether there really was a Heaven above him" (Hawthorne 5). This is where Goodman experiences his epiphany. After believing he hears Faith, his wife's, voice and sees her pink ribbon flying through the air, Brown loses all faith and says that there is "no good on earth" (Hawthorne 5). Goodman then believes he is strong enough to overcome be taken as his faith to God delayed his meeting to the devil, but his pride allowed him to go. As he gets deeper into the forest, Goodman Brown's faith begins to lessen. He doubts that he will be able to resist temptation. He shows his faith by saying, "My father never went into the woods... nor did his father before him. We have been a race of honest men and good Christians, since the days of the martyrs" (Hawthorne 2). Then the devil lessens Brown's faith by replying, "I helped your grandfather, the constable, when he lashed the Quaker woman so smartly through the streets of Salem. A
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1033
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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