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NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE AND “YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN”
The great American literary figure Nathaniel Hawthorne is best known for his works depicting the history of his Puritan ancestors in New England, such as in “Young Goodman Brown.” He was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804, as part of the sixth generation of Hawthornes in Salem. Hawthorne attended Bowdoin College, and after graduating, began writing short stories, including “Young Goodman Brown.” Hawthorne married his childhood neighbor Sophia, and moved to Concord, Massachusetts, where he lived among important philosophers of the time such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. In 1846, he returned to his hometown of Salem when he was given the position of land surveyor for the Salem Custom House. He was fired in 1848, which is when he wrote what is considered his greatest success, “The Scarlet Letter.” Hawthorne continued his writing until his death in 1864.
Although Hawthorne’s works contain a wide variety of themes, they share a Puritan New England setting. At first glance, it is somewhat odd that most of the works of a 19th century writer involve peoples who lived two centuries earlier. However, if one were to research Hawthorne’s background, his connection to Puritanism is realized. Not only were Hawthorne’s ancestors Puritans, but they were also involved in a very memorable part of Puritan history. Hawthorne’s family lived in Salem at the height of the witchcraft hysteria, and played an important role in it. His great-great grandfather served as a judge at the witch trials, and sentenced many supposed “witches” to death. Hawthorne felt a sense of personal responsibility for the wrongdoings of his ancestors, admitting to “being haunted by the figure of the prominent but guilty ancestor who ‘was present to my boyish imagination, as far back as I can remember.’” (Unger 293) Hawthorne exposes the negative aspects of Puritanism in his writing, aspects that are often veiled by the Puritan ideals of personal holiness and virtuosity.
The Puritans were a God-fearing people, who believed the Bible to be God’s true law, and that it provided a plan for living. The Puritans also felt that Christianity had become corrupted by unnecessary rituals and frivolities, and sought to create a “purified” version of Christianity, hence their name. Due to religious persecution in Great Britain, many Puritans settled in New England, where they created very regimented societies governed by religious law. They believed in Predestination, or that their fate had already been decided before birth, and so each Puritan worked hard to do good in the hopes that they had been one of the chosen ones. Any deviation from the normal way of life was met with disapproval, and since the church elders were also the political leaders of the communities, church infractions were also social infractions. Puritans also held the belief that the devil was everywhere. A large part of Puritanism was fear of this evil that supposedly lurked behind every corner.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” captures the very essence of this fear, telling the story of a Puritan man who ventures into the woods at midnight to meet with the Devil, and to test his faith in God. It is on this journey that he discovers the entire population of his town had joined the ranks of evil, despite their holy and pious facades. He is horrified to discover that his beloved wife Faith had done so as well. Faith herself is a double entendre in this story. As a person, Faith is seemingly extremely devout, but she is also representative of Brown’s faith in God. Brown tells the Devil that it is Faith that “kept me back a while,” as, in order to undertake this journey, he must part with his own goodness and integrity. (Abcarian, Klotz, and Cohen 82) While traveling through the treacherous woods, the Devil attempts to convince Brown to abandon his faith, claiming that Brown’s own father and grandfather were under the spell of evil. “They were my good friends, both; and many a pleasant walk have we had along this path.” (Abcarian, Klotz, and Cohen 83) However, it is only after Brown hears Faith’s voice among those at the Devil’s coven, where “he could have well-nigh sworn that the shape of his own dead father beckoned him to advance,” that he realizes the Faith he once knew is gone, as well as the faith he once had in God. (Abcarian, Klotz, and Cohen 89) Brown leaves his experience “with a personal understanding of innate depravity.” (MaGill 1613) Brown could no longer believe in the decency of mankind. The human condition is one of evil. “There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, Devil, for to thee is this world given.” (Abcarian, Klotz, and Cohen 87)
Although Brown emerged from the woods, he “never emerged from the forest depths of despair.” (Walsh) From that point on, Brown lived a life in which he was inwardly alienated, unable to forget the pure malevolence that he had seen in the hearts of the townspeople, and rejoin his community. “Often, waking suddenly at midnight, he shrank from the bosom of Faith; and at the morning or eventide, when the family knelt down at prayer, he scowled and muttered to himself, and gazed sternly at his wife, and turned away.” (Abcarian, Klotz, and Cohen 90) Brown was unable to function without the belief that men, in their heart of hearts, are good.
One might wonder why Hawthorne would write a story in the 19th century that was set almost two hundred years before, or why this story is still applicable today. Although the setting, practices, and lifestyle of the characters of “Young Goodman Brown” are largely unfamiliar today, Brown’s struggle between good versus evil is an eternal one, faced by many regardless of the time period. It is comforting to think that, despite all of the pain, suffering, and hardships of the world, wickedness and evil are not intrinsic. For all of the bad deeds of humans, we still have a sense of righteousness. What would we do if we were to discover that goodness is merely a false ideal? Mostly likely, we too, like Brown, would find that our worlds have been turned upside down. In the story, Brown also finds himself trying desperately to resist temptation, which is certainly a common occurrence today. However, it seems as though today, most do not try as hard as Brown to resist the lure of immorality. Perhaps this is because we recognize the alienation that occurs when we act against popular opinion. No one wants to end up in the same situation as Brown, alone in one’s misery.
Despite the setting and time period, the message of “Young Goodman Brown” still resonates in its readers. Hawthorne seems to be commenting on the dismalness of humanity, but perhaps he also intended for the reader to use this awareness to better deal with reality. There is no escaping the evil that often surrounds us, but there are alternatives to Brown’s complete rejection of and isolation from it.
Works Cited
Abcarian, Richard, Klotz, Marvin, and Cohen, Samuel. “Young Goodman Brown.” Literature the Human Experience. Ed. Stephen A. Scipione. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010. 81-91. Print.
“Nathaniel Hawthorne.” Critical Survey of Short Fiction. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Englewood Cliffs: Salem Press, 1981. 1612-1613
“Nathaniel Hawthorne 1804-1864.” American Writers: A Collection of Literary Biographies. Ed. Leonard Unger. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1973. 293-295.
Walsh Jr., Thomas F. “The Bedeviling of Young Goodman Brown.” Short Story Criticism. Vol 29. (1998): 331-336. Literature Resource Center. Web. 22 March 2010.
