Young Goodman Brown
by Nathaniele Hawthorne
Work Analysis
Evil assembly
Encounters
Set off on a journey
The next Morning
Goodman died
The companion
His head being turned back, he passed a
crook of the road, and, looking forward again,
beheld the figure of a man, in grave and
decent attire, seated at the foot of an old tree.
He arose at Goodman Brown's approach and
walked onward side by side with him.
It was now deep dusk in the forest, and deepest in that part of it
where these two were journeying. As nearly as could be discerned, the
second traveller 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 person was as
simply clad as the younger, and as simple in manner too, he had an
indescribable air of one who knew the world, and who would not have felt
abashed at the governor's dinner table or in King William's court, were it
possible that his affairs should call him thither. But the only thing
about him that could be fixed upon as
remarkable was his staff, which bore the likeness of a great
black snake, so curiously wrought that it might almost be seen to twist and
wriggle itself like a living serpent. This, of course, must have been an
ocular deception, assisted by the uncertain light.
Style
• Symbolism
– Pink ribbon
– Forest
– Sunset
– The devil’s staff
the Pink Ribbons
• Pink is associated with innocence and gaiety.
• Ribbon is a modest, innocent decoration for
girlness.
Forest & Sunset
• The world outside: outside the village, outside
the normal boundaries of right and wrong,
outside of Brown's comfort zone. But they
could symbolize something else as well: the
woods could be an embodiment of young
Goodman Brown's fears and suspicions, a
freaky picture of dark feelings he doesn't
normally acknowledge. (Similarly backed up
by the approaching night)
The Serpent Staff
• In the book of Genesis, the serpent tempts
Eve to taste the fruit from the forbidden tree.
• The loss of innocence.
• The fall of human.
Style
• Pun
Faith: religious belief; female purity; family
redemption
Young Goodman Brown: youth=innocence;
Goodman=Goody=Goodwife=Mr.& Mrs.;
Brown=common name=everyone
Style
• Allegory
– It is a figurative mode of representation conveying
meaning.
– It is not meant to characterize, to particularize, but to
generalize, and to address abstract ideas.
Setting
Nathaniel Hawthorne
1804-1864
• Born in Salem,
Massachusetts
• Puritan Background
• Ancestor of John
Hathorne – one of
the three judges in
the Salem Witch
Trials
Theme
• The human nature
– Evil is at the core of human heart
• Hidden sin – hypocrisy of people around
• Original sin – Goodman himself vacillates between
inherent goodness and dark side of mind
– Loss of faith
Puritanism
• Radical version of Protestantism
• Religious belief of American
founders
• Provides a set of values for
American society and culture
Basic Puritan Beliefs
1. Total Depravity - through Adam and Eve's fall, every person is
born sinful - concept of Original Sin.
2. Unconditional Election - God "saves" those he wishes - only a
few are selected for salvation - concept of predestination.
3. Limited Atonement - Jesus died for the chosen only, not for
everyone.
4. Irresistible Grace - God's grace is freely given, it cannot be
earned or denied. Grace is defined as the saving and
transfiguring power of God.
5. Perseverance of the "saints" - those elected by God have
full power to interpret the will of God, and to live uprightly. If
anyone rejects grace after feeling its power in his life, he will
be going against the will of God - something impossible in
Puritanism.
W
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the use of symbol
to connect a bygone time with the very Present
revelation of characters’ psychology
the use of supernatural mixed with the actual
use of ambiguity to keep the reader in the world of
uncertainty – multiple point of view
his stories are parable (allegory) – to teach a lesson
Assignment
• Adventure of Huckleberry Finn
• Give a brief introduction into
characters depicted in the
selected reading
• Find resources of humorous
stories in English, share one!