Nathaniel Hawthorne Young Goodman Brown Nathaniel Hawthorne 1804

Nathaniel Hawthorne “Young Goodman Brown”

Nathaniel Hawthorne 1804 -1864 • Born in Salem, Massachusetts • Puritan Background • Ancestor of John Hathorne – one of the three judges in the Salem Witch Trials

His Themes in Writing • Moral allegories • The sinful man • Hypocrisy • The Dark side of Human Nature • Religious in Nature

Who were the Puritans? • Wanted a “pure” church – No candles – No Images – No stained glass windows • Rejected the “showy” church of England • Led very somber lives governed solely by a strict interpretation of the Bible • No “nonsense” – dancing, gambling, drama, etc

Basic Beliefs of the Puritan Church • Jesus Christ is the Son of God – died on the cross for all everyone’s sins • The whole Bible is the word of God and it is to be followed to the letter. • The belief that these ideas are fact are known as a person’s faith

Basic Beliefs of the Puritan Church • Faith is what is necessary to get into heaven. • If you don’t go to heaven you go to hell. • Sins, as defined by the Bible, are to be avoided at cut of life • A catechism is a book that is used to teach basic principles of the church

Some Basics of “Young Goodman Brown” … • Characters – Young Goodman Brown – His wife, Faith – Mysterious man in the forest with a strange looking staff

Some Basics… • Minor Character’s Notes… – Constable: person in law enforcement – Deacon: position in church held by congregation member – Goody: abbr. of “goodwife”, female version of goodman – Reverend: pastor – Sabbath: day of rest in the Judo/Christian church – in this case, Sunday

YGB as an Allegory • What is an allegory? – A story where everything is a symbol – Used commonly to instruct especially in religious matters

The Allegory of Young Goodman Brown – Basics • The Snake = Satan – The Devil • The Forest = Evil-Sin, man’s journey

The Allegory of Young Goodman Brown – Basics • Stars / Sky Heavenly Bodies • Heaven / Connection with God

The Allegory of Young Goodman Brown - Basics • White Purity • Red Sin • Pink ? ?

• Fire • Hell

The Allegory of Young Goodman Brown – now, not basic • Young Goodman Brown • The common Christian man – brown is neutral • Faith • A Christian’s faith • Witches • Satan / Evil