Young Goodman Brown: Irony, Madness and Symbolism - Essay Example

“Young Goodman Brown Irony, Madness and Symbolism. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story en d “Young Goodman Brown” is based on half-fantasy and half-reality. It is a tale of morality wherein an important decision has to be made between the good and the evil. The main character in this story known as Young Goodman Brown is trapped between his outward religious lifestyle and values and his desire to show the evil side in his soul. A dream-like quality spread throughout the entire story which makes the readers left wondering whether or not the main character of the story has decided to follow his evil instincts or drew back at the last minute. Whatever is the readers’ interpretation, the author leaves no doubt that the main character’s experiences in the forest, whether dream or reality, has changed his entire life and personality. In this short story, Hawthorne skillfully uses irony, the description of madness, and symbolism, to improve the impact of his story. “Young Goodman Brown,” is full of irony. This irony is most obvious in Hawthorne’s characterizations of the people in his story. The characteristics of the main character represent the Puritans in the sense that their words and actions is opposite to their inner motives and hidden actions. Young Goodman Brown himself is a good example that represents the character of a Puritan. In this story, Brown purposely sets out on desire to do evil actions. He was not only ready to enjoy the pleasures of evil actions but also willingly spread out his evil intentions (Hawthorne 8). He makes several empty statements to the Devil but would eventually decide whether or not to terminate his intentions to perform evil quest. For example, in one part of the story, the author mentioned that he did not turn back: it is only talk: ““Too far! Too far!” exclaimed the good man, unconsciously resuming his walk” (Hawthorne 17). He remains “conscious of the guilty purpose that had brought him thither” (Hawthorne 41), but continues to travel the path to hell. In this statement, it is clear that the author wanted to express that the main character in this story was balancing good (guilty consciousness) and evil (desire to do something that is not good). Another good example can be found on page 28 wherein the author mentioned that Goody Cloyse covered himself up as a “pious and exemplary dame, who had taught him his catechism in youth,” (Hawthorne 26) but is a witch, complete with broomstick and evil magic spells. Hawthorne’s irony makes him suggest, tongue-in-cheek, that her muttering is “a prayer, doubtless” (29). The supposedly holy minster and “Good old Deacon Gookin” (Hawthorne 61) is actually only pretending to show the image of holiness. The Puritans is referring to the English Protestants during the 16th and 17th century who are expected to practice strict religious discipline (Farlex Dictionary). In the short story, Hawthorne described the Puritan society as the “grave, reputable, and pious people, these elders of the church, these chaste dames and dewy virgins” (57) in bright colors of sin. Even the hymn sung at the satanic gathering is cloaked in “the slow and mournful strain, such as the pious love, but joined to words which expressed all that our nature can conceive of sin, and darkly hinted at far more” (Hawthorne 59). This irony makes the reader sensitively conscious of the strangeness between the author’s representation of his characters, and the impression they create as the story progresses. The irony is further strengthened by the peaceful ending of the story in the town, with the characters again displaying their saintly behaviors. Upon analyzing the flow of the story, it is clear that Hawthorne’s decision to use irony is very effective in terms of highlighting the hypocrisy of religious people. Hawthorne described the character of young Goodman Brown with a touch of insanity in such as way that the main character of the story defended himself against the temptations of the Devil but fell down in quick succession. According to Hawthorne (17), “a race of honest men and good Christians since the days of the martyrs” are actually the close acquaintances of the devil. For instance, the public figures of New England, who Goodman Brown thinks are “a people of prayer, and good works to boot, and abide no such wickedness” (Hawthorne 19) are revealed to be sinners. Likewise, the religious trio of Goody Cloyse, the minster and Deacon Gookin were exposed in their true colors of wickedness. Finally, when Goodman Brown’s trust in his wife, Faith was destroyed, his moral foundation deteriorated making himself ruled by his own despair and madness. The author used dramatic descriptions to describe Christians can be tempted to commit sin. The paragraph depicting young Goodman Brown’s descent into madness is filled with black masses of clouds, a lot of nonsense talk, unclear sounds, strange expression of grief and undomesticated laughter. Specifically the thought of his wife’s downfall drove the main character insane. He is “maddened with despair, so that he laughed loud and long” (Hawthorne 51). When young Goodman Brown was going through the circle of madness, the author described his action in such a way that he was “brandishing his staff with frenzied gestures, now giving vent to an inspiration of horrid blasphemy, and now shouting forth such laughter as set all the echoes of the forest laughing like demons” (Hawthorne 54). In other words, his behavior can no longer be considered normal. The author appears to suggest that young Goodman Brown’s mental state makes him receptive to his initiation into the ranks of the devil worshippers. It is out of his madness that young Goodman Brown surrenders to his evil instincts. The suggestion of madness lasted until the end of the short story. When Goodman Brown returned to town, he was “staring around him like a bewildered man” (Hawthorne 71). Although the night of his forest has come to an end, be it reality or fantasy, changes him for the worse. He is now “a stern, a sad, a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a desperate man” (Hawthorne 73). This suggestion of madness emphasizes the ambiguity of the narrative: Is it a dream or a reality? Symbols are widely used by the author in “Young Goodman Brown”. The setting of the narrative in Salem village is symbolizes the infamous ‘Salem Witch Trials’ of the Puritanical period. This prepares the reader for the theme of witchcraft and devilry which can be found throughout the story. Young Goodman Brown’s wife Faith was an obvious reference to her position as the representative of the main character’s religious beliefs and as the guardian of his morality. Bright colors represent not only the little pleasures and joys of domestic life but also the blessings of a secure routine. Therefore, Faith’s pink ribbons symbolize warm friendship and cheer. In the short story, Faith’s pink ribbons represent the securing rope which keeps young Goodman Brown secured as he was throw out on the stormy waters of moral conflict. Once the pink ribbon “fluttered down through the air and caught on the branch of a tree” (Hawthorne 49), Goodman Brown loses his ability to choose between what is morally right from wrong. Therefore, in the absence of his wife’s support, Brown is set free to pursue his headlong descent into evil. The numerous symbols add to the vividness of the imagery in the story. For instance, the devil’s staff “which bore the likeness of a great black snake” (Hawthorne 13), symbolize the temptation which the serpent of Eden used to bring about the downfall of man. Young Goodman Brown’s acceptance of the staff signifies his surrender to the Devil. The black cloud which hides the stars can be considered as another symbol that describes the main character’s depression. The dark forest in this story represents the darkness of sin. Furthermore, the setting of the diabolic meeting is symbolic of a church: the Devil takes on the appearance of a New England minster; the rock on which the evil person stands represent a church monument or an altar whereas the burning pine trees evoke a picture of the candles in a church. The irony, depiction of madness, and symbolism used by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the short story entitled “Young Goodman Brown” makes the entire story interesting on the part of the readers. Hawthorne made his portrayal of hypocrisy of Puritanical New England evident by the use of irony in the characterization of the main characters in this story. He goes on to use his representation of madness to develop the plot of young Goodman Brown’s decision to surrender to the devil. The liberal use of symbols throughout the story enhances the imagery and enriches the readers’ experience. Therefore, Hawthorne is considered successful in terms of highlighting the main characteristics of the main characters in the short story entitled “Young Goodman Brown”. Works Cited. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Young Goodman Brown. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Farlex Dictionary. “Puritan,” Farlex Dictionary. 2012. Web. 16 May 2012 . Read More