Themes: Puritan Hypocrisy
Hawthorne sees all humanity as corrupt and wicked, but he is particularly harsh in his denunciations of those who attempt to conceal their wickedness behind a facade of virtue. As he welcomes Faith and Goodman Brown to the Satanic communion, the devil provides an eloquent and detailed description of Puritan hypocrisy:
Ye deemed them holier than yourselves, and shrank from your own sin, contrasting it with their lives of righteousness, and prayerful aspirations heavenward. Yet, here are they all, in my worshipping assembly! This night it shall be granted you to know their secret deeds; how hoary-bearded elders of the church have whispered wanton words to the young maids of their households; how many a woman, eager for widow’s weeds, has given her husband a drink at bed-time, and let him sleep his last sleep in her bosom; how beardless youth have made haste to inherit their father’s wealth; and how fair damsels—blush not, sweet ones—have dug little graves in the garden, and bidden me, the sole guest, to an infant’s funeral.
Of the four specific sins mentioned in this passage, three involve murder: first a wife poisoning her husband, then a young man hastening the death of his father, and finally a young woman burying her child. The three generations killed by wife, son, and mother show the ubiquity, even the universality, of sins that are also capital crimes. Even before this, Goody Cloyse fawning before the devil, and the glee of the minister and the deacon at the corruption and subversion of religious rites demonstrate the hollowness of their claims to virtue.
Goodman Brown is an Everyman figure, but he is specifically a Puritan Everyman. The Puritans call each other “Goodman” and “Goodwife” or “Goody,” but Hawthorne does not depict anyone in the story as good. For him, the Puritan Everyman is one who hides his evil nature and deeds behind a pretense of goodness, and Goodman Brown quickly learns of his own corruption, along with that of his father and grandfather, his wife, and the entire Puritan community of Salem.
Expert Q&A
Does "Young Goodman Brown" support the claim that "Evil is the nature of mankind"?
"Young Goodman Brown" suggests that evil is inherent in mankind. The story portrays this through Brown's loss of faith and the universal participation in evil by the townspeople, including his wife, Faith. However, it also highlights the dual nature of humanity—capable of both good and evil. Hawthorne criticizes the hypocrisy of Puritan society and emphasizes the importance of acknowledging this dualism to avoid alienation and hypocrisy.
What sins have the characters Goodman Brown encounters in the woods committed?
In the forest, Goodman Brown encounters characters committing sins such as blasphemy and hypocrisy, notably the minister and Deacon Gookin, who secretly worship Satan despite their pious personas. Goody Cloyse, a religious teacher, is guilty of witchcraft. The gathering includes other sinners like drunkards and harlots. Faith, Brown's wife, may succumb to temptation. Overall, their greatest sin is selfishness, as they prioritize personal desires over spiritual integrity, embodying pride and narcissism.
Why does Brown say "There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil! for to thee is this world given"?
Brown says "There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil! for to thee is this world given" because he believes his faith and the goodness in the world are gone. In the story, this quote reflects his despair after seeing that even those he thought were good Puritans, including his wife Faith, are in league with the devil. This realization destroys his faith in God and humanity.
Does "Young Goodman Brown" depict an inward journey where Goodman Brown discovers but denies his evil?
"Young Goodman Brown" illustrates an inward journey where Goodman Brown confronts the potential for evil within himself. While he becomes aware of evil both in himself and others, interpretations differ on whether he acknowledges and integrates this knowledge. Some argue he fails to confront it, leading to despair, while others suggest he acknowledges and rejects it, emerging wiser. Ultimately, the story explores his struggle with recognizing and responding to evil.
Is Salem in "Young Goodman Brown" filled with hypocrites hiding behind respectability?
"Young Goodman Brown" portrays Salem as a community filled with hypocrisy, reflecting Nathaniel Hawthorne's critique of Puritanism. The story suggests that the Puritans' strict focus on piety and denial of human frailty fostered an environment rife with hidden sin and hypocrisy. While some argue that this portrayal highlights the complexity of human nature, others believe that Hawthorne leaves the morality of Salem's inhabitants ambiguous, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions.
What causes Goodman Brown's feeling of "brotherhood" with evil? Is it externally or internally driven?
Goodman Brown’s feeling of "brotherhood" with evil, the "sympathy of all that was wicked in his heart," seems like a significant part of his motivation to step forward in this passage.
In "Young Goodman Brown," how does Hawthorne use real Salem witch trial figures to represent the Puritan mindset and the psychology of guilt?
Hawthorne uses figures from the Salem witch trials to illustrate the Puritan mindset and the psychology of guilt by depicting a world where sin is universal and condemnation prevalent. In "Young Goodman Brown," the protagonist's journey reveals a vision of inherent human evil, leading him to cynicism. Hawthorne suggests that the real sin lies in the hypocrisy and judgmental nature of society, advocating for tolerance and forgiveness instead of condemnation, paralleling historical events like the McCarthy hearings.
Does the "dark figure" imply that virtue is unreal and evil is the only happiness? Does Goodman Brown or the author share this belief?
A "dark figure" says, "Ye had still hoped that virtue were not all a dream. Now are ye undeceived. Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness."
Does the dream cause Goodman Brown to lose faith in "Young Goodman Brown", or would he have lost it anyway?
"the truth conveyed in the dream—that faith may betray us—is also a truth of waking experience."
Leo B. Levy means that people will almost inevitably not live up to our expectations, whether it be in a dream or reality. In the story, it is the reality that all people are flawed, not the dream, that makes Goodman Brown lose faith. He would have lost his faith anyway, because his expectations of other people's behavior were too high.
How does the fellow traveler undermine Goodman Brown's faith?
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