Treachery of Thy Forest: Young Goodman Brown and Mrs. Mary Rowlandson
Treachery of thy Forest Mary Rowlandson (1636-1711) a puritan women, held as a prisoner by the Native Americans and forced to travel, “some 150 miles, from Lancaster to Menamaset then north to Northfield and across the Connecticut river.”(10) was not a writer however had her book, A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson published. The book was released for the, “public at the earnest desire of some friends, and for the benefit of the afflicted”(5-6) and Young Goodman Brown, a fictional character created by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was written because a few male puritans wanted to publish a story to open up societies eyes and live in a more patriarchal society. Regardless of being a fictional character or a nonfiction, we get presented evidence in which both individuals experience problems that at the time the puritan society could relate too. While both Young Goodman Brown and Mary Rowlandson enter the forest under different circumstance, Mary Rowlandson emerges revitalize and with stronger faith in God’s work. Whereas Young Goodman Brown returns a much, “stern, a sad, a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a desperate man.” Knowing not what to expect they both continue their trip through the woods in curiosity. In The Narrative of the Captivity and the Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, Mary uses her journey as a test of faith with god, “I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness has afflicted me”(Psalm 119.75). No matter what obstacles are presented, Mary Rowlandson remains next to the good lord, “...she found me sitting and reading in my Bible; she snatched it hastily out of my hand, and threw it out of doors. I ran out and catched it up, and put it into my pocket, and never let her see it afterward.”(12th remove). In comparison, Young Goodman Brown, lost his faith since he does not know wether what he saw in the forest was a dream or not, “Be it so if you will; but, alas! it was a dream of
Citations: Rowlandson, Mary, and Mary Rowlandson. The Narrative of the Captivity and the Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson . Scholastic, 1682. Print. Cambell, Donna. "Mary Rowlandson (c. 1636-1711) ." American Authors. Historical New York Times, 04 july 2013. Web. 23 Sep 2013. . Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Trans. Array Young Goodman Brown. 1835. Print.