My Essay Essay
How does Hawthorne communicate this theme?
The message or theme that I noticed from this short story was that it was written to, perhaps, show the evils of the devil. To show that no matter how innocent one may seem, there is always evil within.
Allusion:
- “So saying, he threw it down at her feet, where, perhaps, it assumed life, being one of the rods, which its owner had formerly lent to Egyptian Magi.”
This is from the biblical book of Exodus, and in that book, the Pharaoh’s court turned their staves into serpents to intimidate Moses. Moses and his brother Aaron also had staves capable of magic, but that power was believed to have come from God rather than the devil.
- “...; and there was a world of meaning in this simple comment.”
The scene with Goody Cloyse is very important because by showing Goody Cloyse to be a witch, Satan is turning Goodman Brown’s world upside down. If Goody Cloyse, who represent to Brown a strong woman of faith, is indeed allied with Satan, what is Brown to think about all the other people he believes are good Puritants?
- “What if a wretched old woman do choose to go to the devil when I thought she was going to heaven: is that any reason why I should quit my dear Faith and go after her?”
While the devil has revealed all the hypocrisy of Goodman Brown’s family, community, and his own ideas, Goodman Brown maintains a trust that his wife, Faith, is free of evil. It is this trust that keeps him from falling into sin. However, he still looks to another person rather than to his God or personal convictions. His actions reflect the Puritan tendency to seek external ideas of faith, specifically in the appearance of goodness, rather than pursuing personal relationships between the self and a higher power.
Symbolism:
- The Pink Ribbons
As a reader, I immediately thought that the colour pink is associated with innocence and girlishness. Faith seems to be trying to look pretty, treat herself, and maybe stand out from the grays and browns of the Puritan. This was able to give us a message that although Faith may look childlike and innocent, she’s really fallen from grace.
- The Woods
Like Little Red, Goodman Brown takes a journey through a forest, and for her case, the forest is a place where everyday assumptions get overturned. Grandmothers turned into wolves, kindly old women turn into witches. Both of the characters also come home from their journey knowing that a cape or a hood won’t be able to protect them.
- The Serpentine Staff
Snakes have always gotten the short end of the stick. No other animal has quite the same reputation for sneakiness, cunning, and general deadliness. No other animal would make the readers think of “Satan” or “devil”. Monkeys even have a special cry menacing “Look out! Snake!”
- The Evil Assembly
Although the assembly doesn’t have any type of signs, it is surrounded by big, blazing pine trees. It is a reminder that wild nature (pines) and devilishness (fire) often exists together in the story. Also, the assembly has its own altar, sacramental basin, and its own preacher. Those burning pines are even a bit like church candles. It kind of reminds me of a dark parody of a Christian ritual, and the fact that the evil folk in the story aren’t lawless nor leaderless. Like a normal church congregation, they have certain rules and authorities that the followers or members would obey, and even certain rituals that make them increasingly united and empowered.
- Faith
She is simply not just a character, but she symbolises faith, obviously.
“Is that any reason why I should quit my dear Faith and go after her?”
“And what calm sleep would be his that very night, which was to have been spent so wickedly, but so purely and sweetly now, in the arms of Faith!”
In other words, “Faith” is a representation of his Christian Faith. All the evil people he meets in the woods are trying to lead him away from her/it, but her resists. Still, awful things he sees means that, when he eventually returns, he finds her/it not quite comforting as it used to be.
Characterisation:
- Young Goodman Brown
- Townspeople/Faith
- The Stranger
In Young Goodman Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, evil is portrayed in a way where the character gets swayed by the thoughts it inserts its mind. Now, that character’s, Goodman Brown’s point of view towards his wife, Faith, and the townspeople contained an atmosphere of innocence and loyalty from them, until a stroll in the forest caused him to change. That proves that no matter how convinced you or anyone is that you are mentally strong, deep inside a person, there is evil. One must see it to believe it, and the hallucinations a strange man Brown met in the forest helped him see in a different point of view. Hawthorne, throughout his writing, used the techniques allusion, symbolism, and characterisation in sending out the message about the things evil drives someone to commit.
The message or theme that I noticed from this short story was that it was written to, perhaps, show the evils of the devil. To show that no matter how innocent one may seem, there is always evil within.
Allusion:
- “So saying, he threw it down at her feet, where, perhaps, it assumed life, being one of the rods, which its owner had formerly lent to Egyptian Magi.”
This is from the biblical book of Exodus, and in that book, the Pharaoh’s court turned their staves into serpents to intimidate Moses. Moses and his brother Aaron also had staves capable of magic, but that power was believed to have come from God rather than the devil.
- “...; and there was a world of meaning in this simple comment.”
The scene with Goody Cloyse is very important because by showing Goody Cloyse to be a witch, Satan is turning Goodman Brown’s world upside down. If Goody Cloyse, who represent to Brown a strong woman of faith, is indeed allied with Satan, what is Brown to think about all the other people he believes are good Puritants?
- “What if a wretched old woman do choose to go to the devil when I thought she was going to heaven: is that any reason why I should quit my dear Faith and go after her?”
While the devil has revealed all the hypocrisy of Goodman Brown’s family, community, and his own ideas, Goodman Brown maintains a trust that his wife, Faith, is free of evil. It is this trust that keeps him from falling into sin. However, he still looks to another person rather than to his God or personal convictions. His actions reflect the Puritan tendency to seek external ideas of faith, specifically in the appearance of goodness, rather than pursuing personal relationships between the self and a higher power.
Symbolism:
- The Pink Ribbons
As a reader, I immediately thought that the colour pink is associated with innocence and girlishness. Faith seems to be trying to look pretty, treat herself, and maybe stand out from the grays and browns of the Puritan. This was able to give us a message that although Faith may look childlike and innocent, she’s really fallen from grace.
- The Woods
Like Little Red, Goodman Brown takes a journey through a forest, and for her case, the forest is a place where everyday assumptions get overturned. Grandmothers turned into wolves, kindly old women turn into witches. Both of the characters also come home from their journey knowing that a cape or a hood won’t be able to protect them.
- The Serpentine Staff
Snakes have always gotten the short end of the stick. No other animal has quite the same reputation for sneakiness, cunning, and general deadliness. No other animal would make the readers think of “Satan” or “devil”. Monkeys even have a special cry menacing “Look out! Snake!”
- The Evil Assembly
Although the assembly doesn’t have any type of signs, it is surrounded by big, blazing pine trees. It is a reminder that wild nature (pines) and devilishness (fire) often exists together in the story. Also, the assembly has its own altar, sacramental basin, and its own preacher. Those burning pines are even a bit like church candles. It kind of reminds me of a dark parody of a Christian ritual, and the fact that the evil folk in the story aren’t lawless nor leaderless. Like a normal church congregation, they have certain rules and authorities that the followers or members would obey, and even certain rituals that make them increasingly united and empowered.
- Faith
She is simply not just a character, but she symbolises faith, obviously.
“Is that any reason why I should quit my dear Faith and go after her?”
“And what calm sleep would be his that very night, which was to have been spent so wickedly, but so purely and sweetly now, in the arms of Faith!”
In other words, “Faith” is a representation of his Christian Faith. All the evil people he meets in the woods are trying to lead him away from her/it, but her resists. Still, awful things he sees means that, when he eventually returns, he finds her/it not quite comforting as it used to be.
Characterisation:
- Young Goodman Brown
- Townspeople/Faith
- The Stranger
In Young Goodman Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, evil is portrayed in a way where the character gets swayed by the thoughts it inserts its mind. Now, that character’s, Goodman Brown’s point of view towards his wife, Faith, and the townspeople contained an atmosphere of innocence and loyalty from them, until a stroll in the forest caused him to change. That proves that no matter how convinced you or anyone is that you are mentally strong, deep inside a person, there is evil. One must see it to believe it, and the hallucinations a strange man Brown met in the forest helped him see in a different point of view. Hawthorne, throughout his writing, used the techniques allusion, symbolism, and characterisation in sending out the message about the things evil drives someone to commit.
Comments
Post a Comment