The Deception Of Faith In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown
Within Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”, the reader follows a man of the same name on his journey through the forest to an unspecified ritual. Leaving behind his wife—appropriately named Faith—he sets off, unaware of what awaits him. While many are content with believing this story is a tale about lying, there is evidence that more meaning lies beneath the surface. Rather than just stating the obvious, Hawthorne may have been meaning to warn readers of the dangers of overestimating their own faith. By believing that his faith was unshakable and pure, Goodman Brown leaves himself open to the deception of the outside world that lurks when his “Faith” is not around. Hawthorne expresses how evil thoughts are inherently human, no matter how innocent or religious a person attempts to live. Faith alone cannot protect people from the world outside of it.
As Young Goodman Brown leaves for his journey, his wife pleads with him not to leave her alone. Goodman Brown is leaving his “Faith” behind fully aware that he should not be …show more content…
She explained how once Goodman Brown returns from the ritual, it seems that he has “...lost all faith in her” and that “during the remaining years of his life, he seems to live beside rather than with his wife, feeling uncomfortable” (46). Young Goodman Brown’s faith was tested and instead of believing in it with his entire heart and mind, he took the words of both the stranger in the forest and the sights of the ritual; this ultimately destroyed his belief, making it crumble to nothing. He is forced to live the rest of his life with a woman whom he no longer has any trust in. Perhaps Hawthorne was aiming deeper than just marriage troubles with this tale. By delving deeper into the names of Hawthorne’s two main characters, other interpretations may become more
As Young Goodman Brown leaves for his journey, his wife pleads with him not to leave her alone. Goodman Brown is leaving his “Faith” behind fully aware that he should not be …show more content…
She explained how once Goodman Brown returns from the ritual, it seems that he has “...lost all faith in her” and that “during the remaining years of his life, he seems to live beside rather than with his wife, feeling uncomfortable” (46). Young Goodman Brown’s faith was tested and instead of believing in it with his entire heart and mind, he took the words of both the stranger in the forest and the sights of the ritual; this ultimately destroyed his belief, making it crumble to nothing. He is forced to live the rest of his life with a woman whom he no longer has any trust in. Perhaps Hawthorne was aiming deeper than just marriage troubles with this tale. By delving deeper into the names of Hawthorne’s two main characters, other interpretations may become more