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Goodman Brown Transformation

Decent Essays

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman Brown”, the author uses several different literary elements to tell the story of Goodman Brown’s transformation. Why did he begin his journey and what were the repercussions of this decision are questions to be asked. An examination of character, setting, and symbolism provides some insight. Goodman Brown’s choices illustrate that one’s actions can lead to unintentional consequences later on in life and the author’s use of setting and symbolism add to an understanding of Brown’s transformation.
The journey Goodman Brown embarks upon changes his faith and his perception of himself and that of those around him. He is a firm believer of God and the faith that the town practices. He is characterized as being somewhat naïve, trusting and accepting of the public faces others in his town put on. Upon departing from his wife and home he has “excellent resolve for the future” (3). …show more content…

Goodman Brown first encounters Goody Cloyse and is surprised because he considered her “a very pious and exemplary dame” (5) who had provided him with his first schooling of the Bible. He then encounters Deacon Gookin, who is the town’s minister, and this shakes his faith further. For example the story says Goodman Brown was so weakened that he “caught hold of a tree for support, being ready to sink down to the ground, faint and overburdened with the heavy sickness of his heart” (8). When he finds the pink ribbon of his wife his Christian faith was weakened yet

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