Defender of the Faith

JC Price

Pledge:

Dr. Carey Voeller

English 203

31 March 2017

Defender Of The Faith

        Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman Brown”, is a story that focuses on how anemic the human race is, in accordance with faith. Hawthorne sets the story in the dark and gloomy woods, where puritans believed evil was found. This evil is a major theme in the story which subdues many of “Young Goodman Brown’s” neighbors and people he knew well into darkness and corruption. In “Young Goodman Brown”, Hawthorne uses symbolism to emphasize the constant conflict between good and evil as the innocence of faith is tested, and the power that an individual has, can influence the actions they make.

        Faith is a force that can be manipulated, changed, even completely deleted from ones thoughts or actions. In “Young Goodman Brown”, faith is represented as his wife, who tries to influence Goodman Brown to do the right thing when making his decisions. As she sees her husband off, she watches him walk the road as the wind blows the pink ribbons that hang from her cap which Hawthorne makes a symbol of, that faith is innocent and pure, just like Goodman Brown’s faith. Hawthorne portrays the part of story where Goodman Brown walks away from his wife an image that Goodman Brown is walking away from his faith and starting his path toward evil. Goodman Brown shows his faith in the woods when he happens to stumble across a dark figure sitting at the foot of a tree who urges Goodman Brown to go with him. Goodman Brown replies to the dark figure; “having kept my covenant by meeting thee here, it is my purpose now to return whence I came. I have scruples, touching the matter wot’st of” (621). This represents Goodman Brown’s faith in the way that he doesn't want to be getting into any trouble with this man and wants to follow what he believes is right. After seeing the town minister and Deacon Gookin riding to the black mass, Goodman Brown shows his faith again by saying; “with Heaven above, and Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil” (624)! Throughout the story, faith is the biggest theme seen in Goodman Brown whether he is questioning his faith, using his faith to do right by others and himself, or for strength so he can accomplish a task.

        Once Goodman Brown entered the forrest, the battle between good and evil initiated and would transform “Young Goodman Brown” for the rest of his life on earth. When Good Brown was approached in the forrest by the dark figure and was told he was late, he replied; “Faith kept me back awhile” (620). This shows that Goodman Brown compromised his faith to meet with this dark figure, who begins to manipulate Goodman Brown right when the first words come out of his mouth. “As nearly as could be discerned, the second traveler was about fifty years old, apparently in the same rank of life as Goodman Brown, and bearing a considerable resemblance to him, though perhaps more in expression than features. Still, they might have been taken for father and son. And yet, though the elder persons a simply clad as the younger, and as simple in manner too, he had an indescribable air of one who knew the world,…” (621). This passage gives the traveler a sense of power over Goodman Brown because since knowing that the traveler is the devil, the traveler can now manipulate Goodman Brown due to the resemblance aspect which makes Goodman Brown feel much more comfortable being around and talking to the traveler which makes Goodman Brown vulnerable. When the traveler is described as a man who “knows the world”, it also implicates that the traveler is a wise man, and to most people knowledge is power. The traveler then moves on to speak about helping Goodman Brown’s father and grandfather do things that were very evil, but were asked for by his relatives and they were given it. They inflicted pain and killed people who were seen as bad people during the time period like the Indians and Quakers, but these were inhumane actions that were committed and can only be seen as the works of the devil. The traveler says this because he believes he can use Goodman Brown’s relatives as incentive to agree with him so the traveler can break him away from his faith. Goodman Brown replies; “We are people of prayer, and good works to boot, and abide no such wickedness” (621). With this being said, the traveler left Goodman Brown stranded in the dark forrest alone.

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