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Good Vs. Evil in Nathaniel Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown Essay

Decent Essays

Good vs. Evil

The short story, "Young Goodman Brown" is a fascinating rendition of the battle between good and evil. The reader must delve into the depths of his/her own beliefs to understand what the symbolism is. Nathaniel Hawthorne writes an entire lesson in life as one big symbol using allegory. The various examples are fruitful and will be presented throughout this essay.

First, the main character's name is Goodman Brown. Does this mean something? It seems Nathaniel Hawthorne wished it to be that way. After reading the story, the reader is left with the impression that "GOOD-MAN" in the focal character's name symbolizes that this will be the good character in the battle between good and evil. Hawthorne begins the …show more content…

This character's symbol is easy to identify. One must keep in mind that the story supposedly takes place in Salem Village, England's Massachusetts Bay Colony. However, the statement, "You are late, Goodman Brown. The clock of the Old South was striking as I came through Boston; and that is full fifteen minutes agone," points to the fact that the old man has traveled all the way from Boston to Salem in a mere fifteen minutes. This implies there is something rather paranormal about this character. The fact that the stranger knew Brown's name also adds to the train of clues. This character's symbolism is further established with statements such as "the only thing about him, that could be fixed upon as remarkable, was his staff, which bore the likeness of a great black snake...it might almost be seen to twist and wriggle itself, like a living serpent." While the great black snake and serpent are only descriptions of the staff, the words have a deeper meaning and give detail to what the character stands for. The slithering serpent, as referred to in the Bible, symbolizes the sly, sneaky devil. The devil uses his clever persuasion to convince Brown to meet him halfway into the forest. He keeps pulling Brown further and further into the forest, i.e. closer to sin, telling him he may turn back at any time. All the while the devil is describing the sinful doings of the other townsfolk in an attempt to mask the

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