The Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” is a presentation of a moral conflict between evil and good. The beginning of the story sets the environment of conflicting moral will. Goodman bade farewell to his lovely wife Faith, even though she spent a considerable time persuading him to sleep in his bed that night. ‘"Dearest heart," whispered she, softly and rather sadly, when her lips were close to his ear, "prithee put off your journey until sunrise and sleep in your own bed to-night’ (Hawthorn 81). Goodman’s journey into the woods marked the genesis of his quest for trust in God or evil considering the fact that human figures he had anticipated to be faithful were followers of the devil in the wood. This symbolic presentation of the commencement of the journey foreshadows the life of Goodman in quite an effective way. Although human beings are aware of the devils presence and his trick, many fail to resist his presence.
Goodman’s parting was ominous. Arguably, the argument between Goodman and Faith moments before parting illustrates the extent to which Faith loved her husband. Her counsel for example did not only demonstrate the amount of faith she had in God, but a reason enough for her husband to confide in her. “Pray tarry with me tonight, my beloved husband, all nights in the year” (Hawthorn 81). This remark served as a counsel and warning to Goodman on the supposed move he was about to make. By leaving his wife Faith to sleep alone at night symbolically pointed on the fact that he had left the godly course and sought the evil course. The fact that Faith advocated for good is symbolic to her role Faith or goodliness whereas the quest for evil by Goodman illustrate the human nature in his quest for evil deeds.
Symbolism is quite prominently used throughout the short story. The use of symbolism is also made more evident by the use of extended metaphor. Goodman could be likened to a vessel that has no faith, but he depends on the faith of his wife. He remarks that “she’s a blessed angel on earth.” He presupposed that after pursuing the devil’s errand he would return to his wife and cling on her faith to heaven. Largely, Goodman’s road to heaven hang on his ability to shun the evil errand that he was about to pursue. Moreover, his wife, Faith, led a purposeful life which he sees as a light that would deliver him from the evil steps. Goodman acknowledged the impact of faith in his life. He claimed that Faith precipitated his delay in meeting the devil. In the literal lenses, the reader is able to note Goodman’s faith in god as well as his faith in his wife influenced his moves (Jung 67). Regrettably, many people like Goodman have the right warning about the dangers of pursuing evil thoughts, but they go for their self desires anyway.
Goodman’s encounter with a fellow traveler to the devil reveals a number of facts. First, Goodman staff that the traveler was carrying resembled a great snake. Symbolically, the staff was the presence of the devil in the meeting. In a different lens, one can trace the origin of the staff to the Biblical serpent that lied to Adam and Eve. In this sense, the staff led the way to destruction in similar manner as the serpent led Adam and Eve to destruction. As expected, Goodman faith in God was in trial after he left his beloved wife to pursue earthly treasures. The conversation between Goodman and Goody Cloyse further shakes the foundation of his faith.
Goodman is blind to an extent that he is unable to see his own wickedness, but he is quick to identify Goody Cloyse consorting with the devil yet the woman was his spiritual mentor. This aspect seems to confirm human trends in which people are quick to identify the evil deeds of others whereas they fail to acknowledge the fact they share the same predicament. Although the woman was Goodman’s religious mentor, her presence in the meeting assassinated the moral concepts that she taught. In essence, she preaches what she does not subscribe to. Similarly, Goodman’s presence at the devils meeting shows his superficial faith in the moral concepts he was taught.
The presence of Goodman’s teacher at the devils meeting opens a new chapter into Goodman’s life. Arguable, he had anticipated to see his teacher advancing matters concerning God but not evil. Unfortunately, Goodman and his teacher had failed to live by the faith professed in the catechism. From a Christian perspective, every individual should strive at protecting his faith in God. Elsewhere, the presence of the woman in the devil’s meeting confirms the fact that every human being is susceptible to fall in the evil trap irrespective of the position held in church.
Although Goodman and his society had some conviction in Christian faith, their deviation to seek the attention of the devil in the woods suggests that many people who profess the Christian faith subscribe to their own traditions. Evidently, the devil acknowledged that many leaders recognize him as their chairman (Hawthorn 81). It transcends from the Great Court to Churches and nobody seems to lag behind. The devil has engulfed human beings in his own web and nobody seems to be free from evil. In the conservation between the leader at the woods and Goodman, the leader argues that every human race subscribes to the devil. In other words, every person has cultural strains which are hard to eliminate. Arguably, Goodman attempted to deviate from the evil course, but the spell pulling him to the devil is stronger than his own faith. Thus, he has to seek the powers of a superhuman to overcome the evil power.
Many people succumb to moral conflict because of the inclinations that they observe in the environment. By pointing on the archetypal theory, the society seems to be repeating cultural aspects exhibited by the previous generation (Jung 56). The argumentation that the chairman has followers in every part of New England and territories beyond seems to point on the fact that people tend to pass their tradition from one generation to the other. The societal perception of existence of the devil is evident from Goodman’s remark ‘it appears the devilish Indian is present behind every tree’. Traditionally, darkness in the woods was synonymous to evil presence a view that Goodman seems to hold.
In conclusion, human beings tend to cling to cultural attributes which may dangerous. The satanic cult is an old tradition which transcends from one generation to the other. Interestingly, in the story, known characters that should stand for the Christianity have failed to do so. For instance, the presence of Cloyse in the meeting confirms the fact that eliminating cultural attributes is difficult. Even though many people tend to project social attributes they learn from their environment, some of the cultural trends tend to stick and may not be easy to shun. For example, Goodman had learned the Christian attributes from his teacher, but secretly carried the satanic cult with him. His transformation to Christian was never full. Hawthorne contends that parting with one social culture is very difficult. Thus, he warns against subscribing to conflicting faiths. Largely, the consequence of this attribute is the failure to identify with a specific faith. Overall, the author brings out the message exceptionally well through the effective use of symbolism, irony and other literally elements.
Work Cited
Hawthorn, Nathaniel. “Young Goodman Brown.” Literature: The Human Experience. Richard Abcarian, Samuel Cohen , Marvin Koltz. Bedford/St. Martins: Boston and New York, 2010. 81-91. Print.
Jung, Carl. Mythological Criticism. Available on 13 Jan 2014 from http://occonline.occ.cccd.edu/online/swells/ARchetypal%20Dobie,%20Ann%20-%20Theory%20Into%20Practice%20-%20Carl%20Jung%20&%20Mythological%20Criticism.pdf
