Hey, It's Ben...
Today our class discussion focused on Nathaniel Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown. Although you could technically read this pleasent little story purely for its plot and ints entertainment purposes, it's really more of an allegory (every element in the literal story operates as a symbol for something else). Young Goodman Brown isn't just leaving his wife named Faith behind; he's leaving the actual idea of faith. He's "losing faith."
This story, like other Gothic works, is a deep investigation into the human mind. The names are even smybollic in the story..."goodman" is obviously "good man" which shows that even the best of us leave faith behind and do do the right thing oftentimes; it's human nature. Nothing can beat human nature. We also discussed the symbolism of the pink ribbon. Pink is chosen because the it's a color that you get by tainting white (the "pure" or "sinless" color) with a drop of red. Hawthorne is trying to show that all faith is tainted.
Puritan values are shown in the way that Hawthrone just OBSESSES over sin. In the end, you could go on and on analyzing every symbol in the story but it all comes down to the triumph of human nature overall all other forces. That's what causes people to stray from faith and from what they know is right. I beleive Mr. Lazarow mentioned the Ghandi quote in closing, "I like man, but not men."
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2 comments:
Hey, it's Erin.
Ben's mention of human nature got me thinking. I already posted about how something that could have been a dream or a lie was enough to taint everyone's image in Goodman Brown's mind and Paige mentioned today how sometimes when people dream of someone being really horrible to them, they want to stay away from that person. I think it was Mr. Lazarow who said that Brown's inability to forgive his fellows "so Puritan," but is Brown's attitude descriptive of human nature as well? I thought it was interesting that he doubted everyone else's motives and was so concerned with everyone else's sins and misdeeds, but what about his own? Was he not aware that he was probably just as faulted as everyone else; was he just self-righteous that he alone (he felt) had overcome temptation (even though he lost his faith where others might not have? Is the inability to forgive for certain things and the ability to pass judgment (that you will never change no matter what) based on a doubtful circumstance or rumor a part of human nature too?
Hey, it's Stephanie.
Morality is a huge concept of human nature, and I agree with Erin's point. I believe that Puritanism is really just an exaggerated extension of human nature, such as survival. While humans have evolved from their primitive states, there is still clearly a need for them to survive within a society, and make the best availible for themselves. Of course, in doing so, a positive image of oneself is key. If you do not believe in your potential,or you disagree with your own intentions, the drive to keep living and thrive will fade. I think if Brown believed he was doomed and completely lost to sin, he would have believed he would have to give in, and would have made him sucumb to the devil that much more quickly.
Faith in a religion is very important in this story. So is faith in yourself.
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