Young Goodman Brown and the theme of Puritanism
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story ‘Young Goodman Brown’ has often been discussed in terms of lessons he portrays to his readers. Hawthorne is an author of a short story by the name ‘Young Goodman Brown’ who was born in Salem. Hawthorne discusses his culture where he describes it as a puritan culture. He shows how hypocrisy has affected the culture of the people and eventually leading to loss of religious beliefs and Faith. The story begins where Young Goodman Brown abandons his wife for a night journey which he must travel alone. He encounters a man dressed like him who initiates him to join his cult and who he later discovers is Satan. Young Goodman Brown and his wife Faith get initiated to a cult where Young Goodman Brown does not believe in his wife any more. He lives in a Christian community who do not believe in such unreal and witches activities which to his unexpectation are pretence. The main theme and lesson portrayed by Hawthorne is the critical effect of the puritan belief that all human beings are sinful right at their birth. This religious belief according to Hawthorne is harmful and destructive to the well being of the people. He also shows how women are harassed by men in the society where members follow religious beliefs even those ones which cause harm to an individual. People are seen to suffer alienation from this society and the negative effects of shame. Hawthorne teaches his readers on the lesson of following the right religious beliefs and activities and not accepting the earthly people interferer with ones Faith. He shows the dangers of following a strange religion fast and advices his readers to stick to the true and right Faith.
Goodman brown is a young married man living in Salem which is his place of birth. He takes a decision that he will rebel from following religious beliefs and swears to follow the “dark side” (Hawthorne 201). He has lived to know that human beings are sinners right from their time of birth where he claims that this belief is destructive and terms it as Puritanism. He has been educated on many life lessons and experiences where is told that people must face temptations by Satan in a number of ways. He is taught that there is heaven and hell and that his ways in earth determines the final destination either heaven or hell. Heaven is excluded for the people who follow religious beliefs and faith while hell is designed for those rebellious people. He is not shaken and beliefs that what he does on earth will not determine his destination and target after his death. He encounters a stranger who resembles him in the forest. The stranger asks him to hold his serpent which he holds though terrified of this person who looks like him. “Come, Goodman Brown," cried his fellow traveler, "this is a dull pace for the beginning of a journey. Take my staff, if you are so soon weary” (Hawthorne 401). Brown is initiated in the cult and even introduces it to his wife Faith that clearly supports it. Brown is surprised to see some religious people are followers of Satan and he losses faith in his Christian religion “My Faith is gone! There is no good on earth, and sin is but a name”.
Goodman is invited by Satan to a ceremony inside the forest where him, others followers of Satan and his wife are celebrating together with their leader. He tries to show his wife that they are following the wrong destination which is hell and pleads with his wife that they are suppose to look at heaven which is the desired right destination. "Look up to heaven, and resist the wicked one." He is surprised to learn that the righteous men and women are in competition with Satan in order to avoid his temptations and follow in to his deadly traps. He is not able to save himself and learns that everyone surrounding him is actually a sinner. He learns that everything on earth is not right from the lessons taught that everybody is a sinner from birth time. He makes an attempt to escape away from evil but Satan is right beside him advising him that “We are but a little way in the forest, yet"(Hawthorne 402). He is very sad since he wants to go back to his rightful religion and stick to his faith for him to be destined to heaven. He remembers that for him to go to heaven, his faith is stern on awful and wrong acts such as following the devil who he is encountering physically. The devil has already had power over Goodman who learns that other known people, religious men, women and other public leaders are followers of the devil. He is even more surprised to learn that his own father and grandfather though pretending to be very religious were actually followers of Satan and did everything in his power and command. The theme of foreshadowing is well elaborated in this situation which makes Goodman surprised and confused.
Goody Cloyse is a religious old man who Brown learns is a follower of Satan. His language is full of symbolism after he learns that the unexpected people are actually the followers of sin and the devil. "Is that any reason why I should quit my dear Faith, and go after her?” (Hawthorne 403) The devil entices him to follow his actions since the religious people are following him which he sees as a wrong reason to actually quit his faith. Hawthorne teaches his readers that the world should not act as a hindrance to the gates of heaven. He learns that a crowd of voices is blocking him as he looks up to heaven and pray. Brown surrenders to forces of darkness when he hears his wife’s voice among the group which is on the dark side. "My Faith is gone!” (Hawthorne 404) He is sad to submit that his faith is no more. Faith is a symbolic name to emphasize how Faith follows the dark forces regardless of her name which implies she should be faithful to her righteous religion instead of sin. Brown abandons the rightful path to heaven and once the path is abandoned it is hard to recover it since one is confused and enticed to follow the devils desires. Brown is seen to save his soul by directly pleading in heaven where the dark cover instantly disappears and is left a liberated man again. He is confused of the society he is living in where he is does not know the fate of the people surrounding him. He is a sad man living in a society full of hypocrisy, pretence and sin though the people pretend to be religious and following the teachings toward heaven. He now knows that the public figures and other religious people are actually the followers of the devil inwardly but on the other hand pretend to be followers of heaven.
Brown is seen to love his faith but the earthy nature on the other hand is pulling him away. "Faith kept me back awhile". He tells the devil in their conversation which is ironical that his faith is pulling him away from joining the devil’s cult but Satan confuses and convinces him to follow his father and grandfathers example. Hawthorne in this story shows his readers the dangers of abandoning ones religion and joining another one. One is urged to stick to the right religion by following the rules and regulations of the religion as a way of sticking toward the destination of heaven. Brown after his encounter with the sinful world becomes "a stern, a sad, and a darkly meditative" (Hawthorne 152) who vows not to listen to the sinful people in his surrounding. His soul is saved and thus he is back to his faith which will destine him to heaven. The forest here is symbolic representing the devils world while Faith is symbolic representing those believers who pretend to be following the right religion while they are not. He learns that he cannot judge people by their looks but by their actions. Sinful people are the greatest percentage in his surrounding though they have leant religious beliefs which they neglect and follow in to the devils temptations. He is very surprised to learn that the old man who taught him his catechism lessons is an associate of the devil, "And there was a world of meaning in this simple comment" (Hawthorne 151). He is scared to learn that the unexpected people in the society are associates of sin and Satan. It is therefore necessary to conclude that Hawthorne is educating people in the society that they are not suppose to follow sinful actions and instead follow the right path to heaven. Hawthorne teaches his readers that the road to evil is fast which people should avoid.
Works Cited
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Young Goodman Brown. Rockville, MD: Wildside Press, 2005. Print.
