Quality of Evil in Young Goodman Brown

¶ … Quality of Evil in Young Goodman Brown and Ethan Brand

When examining the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne, it is interesting to note the role of evil or indeed perceived evil. Evil appears to distort lives and destroy egoistical souls. One such egoistical soul was Young Goodman Brown (Hawthorne 1937). He leaves his wife Faith in complete trust that her name adequately describes her nature. The end of the story however results in delusion and a confirmation of what Brown has suspected of himself (Leavis 36): all people are inherently evil.

Brown's egoism lies in the fact that he separates himself from the "sinful" and attempts to befriend only those he perceives as pious. He is however shown that the most pious are in reality the most sinful. Even his own family is shown to be composed of people committing evil in the name of good. In this way evil is used under the guise of good to destroy those who believe themselves untouchable by the devil.

It is also interesting to consider Brown's name: "Goodman." It appears that, like Faith who is not particularly faithful, Goodman is not a particularly good man. His egoism in this case lies in his self-deception. When this is peeled away, the sinner is left.

An in-depth analysis of the story will then consider the above issues in detail. All the "holy" inhabitants of Salem in actual fact prove themselves particularly unholy. Goodman and Faith's lives are not the only ones being distorted. They are only the latest converts in a whole town filled with distorted lives. Nothing is as it seems. Good reveals itself to be evil and egoism is the good man's worst enemy. Indeed, Brown finds within himself that which he most wanted to deny.

The same is true of Ethan Brand (Hawthorne 1937). His journey also takes him on a road to self delusion until his search finally ends with his own heart. The "unpardonable sin" he looks for is within himself, as he explains to Bartram, the lime-burner. He finds his sin within separation. "Brotherhood" in terms of the community sharing a certain set of values. Ethan, by looking for the Unpardonable Sin, distances himself from this community, and finds the Sin in this very action.

Interestingly, although Brand fully accepts the implication of the sin within himself, he is unable to repent, but adheres to the sin rather than the community. Thus his alienation is effected and completed by himself, by his own choice and his own pride (Matthiessen 312). This is Brand's chosen egoism, which will eventually destroy him. In the same way pride and evil can be explored in Young Goodman Brown. Brown is initially proud and secure in himself and his wife, but is deluded first by the devil and then by the rest of the community.

Several issues can then be identified for discussion in terms of evil and egoism in both these stories. The tragedy in each main character's life can be explored, together with the ramifications of this for those around them. Both characters also experience alienation as a result of their egoism and their eventual, apparently helpless, submission to evil.

From a larger perspective, Hawthorne writes from the backdrop of a Puritan paradigm. He reveals that much in the Puritan community rests on hypocrisy, although the community has absolute faith in its own actions. Beneath the layer of civilized Christianity however lies an egoism which is easily converted to evil. This will form the basis of discussion.

Bibliography and References for Further Research

Baym, Nina. (ed) The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 3rd ed. Vol.1 New York, London: Norton and Company, 1989.

Bercovitch, Sacvan. The Cambridge History of American Literature

65: Vol. 2. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995.

Feidelson, Charles Jr. "Hawthorne as Symbolist." In Hawthorne: A Collection of Critical Essays. Edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Ethan Brand. In The Novels and Tales of Nathaniel Hawthorne edited by Norman Holmes Pearson. New York: The Modern Library, 1937.

Young Goodman Brown. In The Novels and Tales of Nathaniel Hawthorne edited by Norman Holmes Pearson. New York: The Modern Library, 1937.