Hawthorne's Robin and Goodman Brown: Journeys of Identity

America's Changing Social and Religious Landscape

The United States experienced great political, social, and economic change during the late 1700s and early 1800s. Breaking ties with Great Britain under the Declaration of Independence developed a unique American tradition. The major emphasis was placed on the individual, whose drive to succeed would result in the best possible world for everyone concerned. In the two works "My Kinsman, Major Molineux" and "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the main characters Robin and Young Goodman Brown go on personal journeys to seek their individual goals. Robin seeks a kinsman who can help him establish his future livelihood, and Brown searches to restore his faith and rid himself of the evil in his heart. They both reach a goal — yet not the one expected.

Robin's Urban Journey in 'My Kinsman, Major Molineux'

In "My Kinsman, Major Molineux," a naive and inexperienced youth named Robin leaves his country home and travels to the city looking for his cousin Major Molineux, an aristocrat who has "manifested much interest" in him and "thrown out hints respecting [his] future establishment in life." As a younger son, Robin cannot inherit his father's farm and needs his kinsman Molineux for help.

In this new urban world, Robin marvels at the "gay and gallant figures" who wear "garments of showy colors, enormous periwigs, gold-laced hats, and silver-hilted swords." He sees "imitators of the European fine gentleman of the period, [treading] jauntily along, half dancing to the fashionable tunes which they hummed, and making Robin ashamed of his quiet and natural gait." He even confuses a prostitute for a maiden. Hawthorne thus depicts the old and new ways of life in New England as very different — especially from anything Robin has previously experienced.

Such societal changes bring religious ones as well. New England has become worldly and secularized, with quiet, empty pews in place of the deep scriptural belief that Robin's father once upheld. In bidding farewell to his family home, Robin is embarking on an entirely new world of social experience and religious views. The strength he drew from his rural life and family support is diminishing; his self-esteem is nearly lost.

Worn down by fatigue and hunger, his mind travels back and forth between his country ways and the new traditions surrounding him: "But still his mind kept vibrating between fancy and reality." He continues to believe that the gentlemanly Major Molineux will help him find his way — until even this hope is shattered by the sight of his rich uncle, tarred and feathered and ridden out of town on an uncovered cart. At the end of the story, Robin believes his quest is over and seeks the ferry to return home.

Yet Hawthorne leaves both the reader and Robin with hope for another day. A kindly gentleman serves as a guide and offers Robin a new goal: making it in the world on his own as an independent and free individual. He will not rely on another's finances but will be compelled to "rise in the world" without the help of his kinsman. Through his new experiences, he may yet learn enough to survive on his own. Robin may be hesitant, but the gentleman is confident he will succeed.

Faith, Disillusionment, and the Forest in 'Young Goodman Brown'

The journey of Goodman Brown stands in marked contrast to Robin's. In this story, the main character seeks a conversion experience into the realms of strict Puritanism. His desperate search is for a total goodness of humankind — a world without malevolence or evil. He cannot accept that in society, good and bad go hand in hand, and that no world is free from sin.

Brown turns his back on Salem village in order to venture into dark nature and his darker self, rejecting the society that has nurtured him from the self-willed terrors of his imagination. He also leaves his wife Faith — "aptly named" and "a blessed angel" — behind for this unspecified errand in the forest, a traditional locale for demonic activity. He anticipates the dangers awaiting him: "There may be a devilish Indian behind every tree," said Goodman Brown to himself; "and he glanced fearfully behind him, as he added, 'What if the devil himself should be at my very elbow!'" Like Robin, he is unsure of the reality of the situation due to his weariness. Is he imagining all of this, or is it a true journey?

Brown tries to resist the advances of the devil by recalling his family's righteousness: "My father never went into the woods on such an errand, nor his father before him. We have been a race of honest men and good Christians since the days of the martyrs. And shall I be the first of the name of Brown that ever took this path and kept —" However, this comforting memory is quickly undermined as his fellow traveler recalls the darker side of Goodman's family heritage:

"[I] helped your grandfather, the constable, when he lashed the Quaker woman so smartly through the streets of Salem. And it was I that brought your father a pitch-pine knot, kindled at my own hearth, to set fire to an Indian village, in King Philip's War. They were my good friends, both; and many a pleasant walk have we had along this path, and returned merrily after midnight. I would fain be friends with you, for their sake."

References

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "My Kinsman, Major Molineux." 1832.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown." 1835.