Essay on the Test of Faith in Hawthornes Young Goodman...

Young Goodman Brown:nbsp; A Test of Faith The story Young Goodman Brown is about a man and his faith in himself, his wife, and the community they reside in. Goodman Brown must venture on a journey into the local forest, refuse the temptations of the devil, and return to the village before sunrise. The time era is approximately a generation after the time of the witch trials. Goodman Browns struggle between good and evil is a struggle he does not think he can face. He reiterates his false confidence to himself repeatedly. Goodman knows what he must do but dreads the deed. Upon entering the forest he is suspicious of every rock and tree, thinking something evil will jump out at him. When he finally does meet someone on the trail,†¦show more content†¦When he sees this it destroys any faith he might of had in the community or himself and he appears to give-up. The following morning he finds himself in the forest and wonders what happened the previous night. Whether the scenes he witnessed were real or his imagination, he believes what he remembers and trusts no-one in the village, not even his wife. Goodman lives the rest of his years a miserable and distrusting man. The lead character is happy with the locals and his faith until his trip, when he is convinced they are all evil. Apon this discovery he, in a sense, becomes evil. Whether he actually meets satin, and the community is evil or he fell asleep and tricked himself, he turns out suspecting everyone. The author tells in the end that Goodman is distrusting after his journey, so he either did met the devil or fell asleep. The story seems to lean toward him meeting the devil in person. If Goodman had dreamt the entire trip the author would have probably described his anxiety with more detail in the beginning. This would have allowed the reader to believe that events were not real. When Goodman comes back he thinks he is better than the rest and judges everyone instantly. He then comes to the conclusion that he is the only person that is not a devil worshiper. Just as before with the witch trials, he is judging them as the so-called witches were judged by his ancestors. A reference to Martha Carrier is made is the story,Show MoreRelatedYoung Goodman Brown Analysis876 Words   |  4 PagesHawthorne’s story, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† appears to be a story about original sin with a lot of symbolism tied in to make it an allegory. An allegory is a story that can be interpreted in different ways to find the hidden meaning behind the symbolism in the story. The three things focused on throughout the short story is Faith, the forest that Goodman Brown takes his journey through, and the staff, which the old man who leads Goodman Brown on his way carries. The short story, â€Å"Young Goodman BrownRead MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Wo rds   |  116 Pagesour knowledge and understanding of present events. Evaluating Plot Having studied a given story or novel, to see how the author has arranged and made us use the elements of plot, we should be ready to evaluate his or her success. The customary test of a plot’s effectiveness is its unity: the degree to which each episode and the place it occupies in the narrative structure of the work bear in some necessary and logical (or psychological) way upon the resolution of the initial conflict. In the