Young Goodman Brown , one of the greatest short stories in American literature , beautifully sketches how a young good man becomes evil and participates in an unholy communion . The story can be read as an allegory centering on the temptation everyone faces and on the human tendency to prejudge others on insufficient evidence . Hawthorne also points out the inherent fallacy in Puritan faith and depicts Goodman Brown as every man .
A careful study of the study of the story clearly shows us that the story begins at sunset in Salem Massachusetts . Young Goodman Brown , a young and innocent man , is found to take leave of his wife , Faith , as he wanted to make an errand of evil through a dense forest . Though his wife tried her best to dissuade him from setting out this journey that night , he could not pay heed to his wife as he feels strong attraction towards the journey into the forest , presumably for an evil purpose .
Bidding farewell , Young Goodman Brown started his unknown journey to the devil . He ventures into the gloomy forest of Salem , is suddenly approached by a man of about fifty who bears deceptive appearance . He bears a strange resemblance to him or his forefathers . The man wore simple clothing , but carried a staff that resembled a great black snake and seemed to move like a living serpent . The old man suggests him ,
"This is a dull place for the beginning of a journey . Take my staff , if you are so soon weary ."
He soon discovers that the fellow traveler is in fact the devil in disguise who is pressing hard to lead Goodman Brown to the communion of evil . The Goodman felt conflict in his mind and time and again , he protests the trip , insisting that he must turn around for his wife , Faith . The old man places argument before him that his father and forefathers had walked along the same path , as well as other important townspeople , such as the governor . So Goodman Brown continues to follow the devil . The devil casts his spell and along the path , they see a woman , Goody Cloyse , who taught Goodman Brown his catechism . Then the old man begins to resemble the devil , while the woman a witch ; the staff , too seems to take life .
After a while , Goodman Brown sits down on the stump of a tree , determined not to go any further and to go back to home and started to pray . The devil now realizes that his tricks are no longer taking hold of Goodman Brown , so he goes ahead without Goodman Brown . All on a sudden , Goodman Brown hears horses traveling along the road and he hides there . Then he hears the minister of the churches and Deacon Gookin on horseback discussing the night's meeting and a young woman who would be taken into communion that night . This makes Brown even more uncomfortable . Then he begins to hear a confused sound of voices , and among them , he hears the sad lamentation of his wife , Faith . He shouts her name , but hears only some echoes and then silence . After a while , he discovered the pink ribbon of Faith fluttering down the air that indicated Faith's conversion to evil . "Maddened with despair " he gives in to the devil and exclaimed ,
"My faith is gone ! There is no good on earth , and sin is but a name , come devil for to thee is this world given ."
Goodman then grasped the maple branch , with the help of the staff reached to the meeting of the evil quickly. After reaching there , he sees an alter , surrounded by four blazing trees . He felt surprised that all the figures of the congregation of evil were known to him . Many of the town's most honorable members were present , as were some of the least welcomed - the sinners and criminals . Then a strange and horrible apparition approached to convert them all to evil , revealing them all as sinners and exclaiming that ,
"Now ye are undeceived ! Evil is the nature of mankind . Evil must be your only happiness . Welcome , again, my children, to the communion of your race .
Goodman Brown is led to the alter , where a cloaked female figure is also led . The cloaked woman is revealed to be Faith , Goodman Brown's wife . Before the apparition could lay the mark of baptism on Goodman Brown , he called to Faith to "look up to Heaven , and resist the wicked one." And immediately , he finds himself alone in the forest .
So it is not clear , whether the experience of his journey in the forest was a dream or not but whatever the case was , Goodman Brown was never the same again and for the rest of his life he was changed . The journey brought about a serious change in his mind as well as his belief . He looked upon all as sinful people . He even lost his ardent faith in God , church and even in his dear wife , Faith . He became "a stern , a sad , a darkly meditative , a distrustful , if not a desperate man ."
Thus , it is clear from the above analysis that this story is about losing innocence and becoming evil in nature . The journey must be undertaken because it is part of growing up and becoming an adult . Goodman Brown loses his innocence because of his inherent corruptibility , which suggests that the loss of his innocence was inevitable . The devil only facilitates Goodman Brown's fall . His journey into the forest enlightens him to the sin and hypocrisy within all individuals .
So it can be said that Hawthorne is successful enough to delineate the journey of the protagonist of the story minutely . He shows how dream like journey makes a terrible experience in a man's life . Last of all , it can be safely said that the author has made such a story centering round Goodman Brown to convince us of the power of evil .
No comments:
Post a Comment