Nathaniel Hawthorne “Young Goodman Brown”
Nathaniel Hawthorne 1804-1864 Born in Salem, Massachusetts Puritan Background Ancestor of John Hathorne – one of the three judges in the Salem Witch Trials
His Themes in Writing Moral allegories The sinful man Hypocrisy The Dark side of Human Nature Religious in Nature
Who were the Puritans? Wanted a “pure” church No candles No Images No stained glass windows Rejected the “showy” church of England Led very somber lives governed solely by a strict interpretation of the Bible No “nonsense” – dancing, gambling, drama, etc
Basic Beliefs of the Puritan Church Jesus Christ is the Son of God – died on the cross for all everyone’s sins The whole Bible is the word of God and it is to be followed to the letter. The belief that these ideas are fact are known as a person’s faith
Basic Beliefs of the Puritan Church Faith is what is necessary to get into heaven. If you don’t go to heaven you go to hell. Sins, as defined by the Bible, are to be avoided at cut out of life A catechism is a book that is used to teach basic principles of the church
Some Basics of “Young Goodman Brown” … Characters Young Goodman Brown His wife, Faith Mysterious man in the forest with a strange looking staff
Some Basics… Minor Character’s Notes… Constable: person in law enforcement Deacon: position in church held by congregation member Goody: abbr. of “goodwife”, female version of goodman Reverend: pastor Sabbath: day of rest in the Judo/Christian church – in this case, Sunday
YGB as an Allegory What is an allegory? A story where everything is a symbol Used commonly to instruct especially in religious matters
The Allegory of Young Goodman Brown – Basics The Snake = Satan – The Devil The Forest = Evil-Sin, man’s journey
The Allegory of Young Goodman Brown – Basics Stars / Sky Heavenly Bodies Heaven / Connection with God
The Allegory of Young Goodman Brown - Basics White Purity Red Sin Pink ????
Fire Hell
The Allegory of Young Goodman Brown – now, not basic The common Christian man – brown is neutral Faith A Christian’s faith Witches Satan / Evil