Exploring literature through Klimof Cassimbe

¶ … Man of Good?

Nathaniel Hawthorne's "romance," the short story "Young Goodman Brown," is a highly allegorical tale regarding the nature of evil and good. Even a cursory analysis of the title of the principle characters, Goodman Brown (who represents mankind or humanity) and his wife Faith (who represents faith in religious piety) indicates that they are representative of basic fundamental concepts that were at the heart of the Puritan religion that this tale is based upon. Therefore, the conclusion of this story, and the events leading up to it, is symbolic of more than the outcome of the aforementioned characters, but actually represents Hawthorne's view of mankind and its religious fervor. In providing this viewpoint, the author answers critical questions about the stem of evil (where it originates) as well as man's ability to stave it off or to submit to its dictates. A careful look at the diction and symbolism within "Young Goodman Brown" reveals that the protagonist, Brown, has effectively lost his faith in organized religion largely due to the inherent nature of mankind, which is where evil ultimately comes from.

Hawthorne's diction is deliberately ambiguous for the vast majority of this short story. He chooses to phrase a number of fairly important acts (such as everything that takes place after Brown journeys from his home into the woods until the time he returns) in indefinite terms that leaves the reader questioning as to whether or not these events actually took place, or if they were the figment of some sort of dream. Therefore, the truly significant parts of the tale are Goodman's leaving and return to his home and to his wife, Faith. These facts cannot be questioned, and are significant because they symbolize mankind's (as represented by Goodman's) loss of faith (which is represented by Goodman's rejection of his wife) in organized religion, which the following quotation, in which Goodman returns home, underscores.

Turning the corner by the meeting-house, he spied the head of Faith, with the pink ribbons, gazing anxiously forth, and bursting into such joy at sight of him that she skipped along the street and almost kissed her husband before the whole village. But Goodman Brown looked sternly and sadly into her face, and passed on without a greeting (Hawthorne, 1328).

This quotation is highly important because of the symbolism which Hawthorne uses Brown and his wife to depict, which is, of course, mankind's abandonment of faith in organized religion. Brown literally parted from Faith at the beginning of the story, which symbolizes mankind's removal of faith in religion. After all of the terrible visions (or actual events) that Goodman perceives that night, he "passed" by his wife without any greeting, symbolizing that man has become separated from his faith in religion. The fact that Hawthorne concludes the tale by describing Brown averting his gaze from and physically distancing himself from his wife underpins this concept.

Another fairly important facet of both human nature and Hawthorne's characterization of Brown is the fact that all of the pervasive evil which Brown begins the novel by trying to avoid, and eventually personifies while spending a night away from his wife occurs largely within his own mind. The majority of the evil which Brown feels and perceives during this night away is a matter of perception -- involving basic associations such as a dark forest unbecoming of light being ominous or foreboding. Hawthorne's diction solidifies this notion that what Brown was feeling and experiencing were largely a matter of perception, and Brown's perception, of course, had been altered by the fact that both literally and figuratively he had recently departed from his Faith/faith. The following quotation demonstrates as much.

"Aloft in the air, as if from the depths of the cloud, came a confused and doubtful sound of voices. Once the listener fancied that he could distinguish the accents of the townspeople of his own, men and women, both pious and ungodly, many of whom he had met at the communion table, and had seen others rioting at the tavern" (Hawthorne, 1323).

This quotation is significant because it is the precursor of the images of the pious religious townspeople reviling with the evil, "ungodly" townspeople, which spurs Brown's abandonment of faith in religion. Yet the language which Hawthorne uses to describe Brown's perceptions of these people and this gathering is dubious, at best. The clamor of the voices of the gathering is dubbed by Hawthorne as "doubtful." Furthermore, he describes Brown's discernment of these voices as something the young man "fancied" -- a term which is largely a synonym for imagined, especially at the time Hawthorne was writing. Under different circumstances, Brown might have imagined a more pious or positive fancy of the sights and sounds he heard that night. But the overarching evil he attributed to his surroundings were largely facets of his own perception, which the author has him do to prove that evil only exists within -- and between -- men.