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YoungGoodmanBrown(1835)isashortstorybyAmericanwriterNathanielHawthorne.Thestorytakesplacein17thcenturyPuritanNewEngland,acommonsettingforHawthorne'sworks,andaddressestheCalvinist/Puritanbeliefthathumanityexistsinastateofdepravity,exemptingthosewhoareborninastateofgrace.HawthornefrequentlyattemptstoexposethehypocrisyofPuritancultureinhisliterature.Inasymbolicfashion,thestoryfollowsYoungGoodmanBrown'sjourneyintoself-scrutinywhichresultsinhislossoffaith.PlotsummaryThestorybeginsatsunsetinSalem,Massachusetts,asyoungGoodmanBrownleavesFaith,hiswifeofthreemonths,foranunknownerrandintheforest.Faithpleadswithherhusbandtostaywithherbutheinsiststhejourneyintotheforestmustbecompletedthatnight.Intheforesthemeetsaman,dressedinasimilarmannertohimselfandbearingaresemblancetohimself.Themancarriesablackserpent-shapedstaff.ThetwoencounterMistressCloyseinthewoodswhocomplainsabouttheneedtowalkand,evidentlyfriendlywiththestranger,acceptshissnakestaffandfliesawaytoherdestination.Othertownspeopleinhabitthewoodsthatnight,travelinginthesamedirectionasGoodmanBrown.Whenhehearshiswife'svoiceinthetrees,hecallsouttohisFaith,butisnotanswered.Hethenseemstoflythroughtheforest,usingamaplestaffthestrangerfashionedforhim,arrivingataclearingatmidnighttofindallthetownspeopleassembled.Attheceremony(whichmaybeawitches'sabbath)carriedoutataflame-litrockyaltar,thenewestconvertsarebroughtforth—GoodmanBrownandFaith.Theyaretheonlytwoofthetownspeoplenotyetinitiatedtotheforestrite.GoodmanBrowncallstoheaventoresistandinstantlythescenevanishes.ArrivingbackathishomeinSalemthenextmorning,GoodmanBrownisuncertainwhetherthepreviousnight'seventswererealoradream,butheisdeeplyshaken,withthebeliefhelivedinaChristiancommunitydistorted.HeloseshisfaithinhiswifeFaith;heloseshisfaithinhumanity.Heliveshislifeanembitteredandsuspiciouscynicalman,waryofeveryonearoundhim,includinghiswifeFaith.Hawthorneconcludesthestorybywriting:Andwhenhehadlivedlong,andwasbornetohisgrave...theycarvednohopefulverseuponhistombstone,forhisdyinghourwasgloomBackgroundThestoryissetduringtheSalemwitchtrials,atwhichHawthorne'sgreat-great-grandfatherJohnHathornewasajudge.AccordingtoAmericanliteraturescholarJamesMellow,Hawthornewasplaguedbyguiltbyhisancestor'srole,wrotethestorytovindicatehisgrandfatherbyfeaturingtwofictionalvictimsofthewitchtrialswhowerewitchesandnotinnocentvictimsofthewitch-hunt.[1]ItwasalsothisancestralguiltthatinspiredHawthornetochangehisfamily'sname,addingawinhisearlytwenties,shortlyaftergraduatingfromcollege.[2]InhiswritingsHawthornequestionedestablishedthought—mostspecificallyNewEnglandPuritanismandcontemporaryTranscendentalism.InYoungGoodmanBrown,aswithmuchofhisotherwriting,heexposesambiguity.[3]TheplotandtextualreferencesinYoungGoodmanBrownrevealthePuritansasbeinglikeacityuponahillasJohnWinthrop,afounderofPuritanism,said,andwantingtobeseenthatwayasgood,holymen.However,theirdoctrineteachesthatallmenareinherentlyevilandtheystrivetocauseeachpersontocometotermswiththisandrealizetheirsinfulnature.ThishypocrisythatHawthornepresentsinhisstoryishowhereflectsonthehypocriticalteachingsofthePuritans.TheytaughtthatmanwasinherentlyevilinnaturemuchinaccordancetoEnlightenmentphilosopherThomasHobbes.AnalysisThemesandstyleYoungGoodmanBrownisoftencharacterizedasanallegoryabouttherecognitionofevilanddepravityasthenatureofhumanity.[4]MuchofHawthorne'sfiction,suchasTheScarletLetter,issetin17th-centurycolonialAmerica,particularlySalem,Massachusetts.[5]Inordertoconveythesettinginhiswork,heusedliterarytechniquessuchasspecificdiction,orcolloquialexpressions,asinYoungGoodmanBrowninwhichlanguageoftheperiodisusedtoenhancethesetting.Hawthornegivesthecharacters,specificnamesthatdepictabstractpure&wholesomebeliefssuchas;YoungGoodmanBrown,andFaith.Thecharactersnames'ultimatelyserveasaparadoxintheconclusionofthestory.Theinclusionofthistechniquewastoprovideadefinitecontrastandirony.HawthorneaimstocritiquetheidealsofPuritansocietyandexpresshisdisdainforitthusillustratingthedifferencebetweentheappearanceofthoseinsocietyandtheirtrueidentities.[6]LiteraryscholarWalterShearwritesthatHawthornestructuredthestoryinthreeparts.ThefirstpartshowsGoodmanBrownathishomeinhisvillageintegratedinhissociety.ThesecondpartofthestoryisanextendeddreamlikesequenceinwhichGoodmanBrownisintheforestforasinglenight.Thethirdpartshowshisreturntosocietyandtohishome,yetheissoprofoundlychangedthatinrejectingthegreetingofhiswifeFaith,HawthorneshowsGoodmanBrownhaslostfaithandrejectedthetenetsofhisPuritanworldduringthecourseofthenight.[7]ThestoryisaboutGoodmanBrown'slossoffaithasoneoftheelect,writesJaneEberweininMyFaithisGone!.Believinghimselftobeoftheelect,GoodmanBrownfallsintoself-doubtafterthreemonthsofmarriagewhichtohimrepresentssinanddepravityasopposedtosalvation.HisjourneytotheforestissymbolicofChristianself-explorationinwhichdoubtimmediatelysupplantsfaith.AttheendoftheforestexperienceheloseshiswifeFaith,hisfaithinsalvation,andhisfaithinhumangoodness.[CharacteranalysisThecharacterofGoodmanBrownrepresentsthatofthecommoneverydayman.Hisjourney