In this paper I would like to evaluate and analyze two literary works, namely, Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Rose For Emily by William Faulkner. The reason for my choosing these two works is the following: I believe that on close reading of the aforementioned novels one can trace the similarity in the personality of the main character is portrayed as being the incarnation of twisted perception of the world and what good and evil is. Young Goodman Brown is a story that spotlights on a man that has to choose between right and wrong, and good and evil. Towards the end, Goodmans journey from the village through the forest and back again is turned into a self-assessment about his own faith, trust, innocence, and experience. The story is about a good young man struggling on his own spiritual path, which can be paralleled to any of our lives in which we are tempted and have personal struggles of our own. He leaves his familiar place promising his wife, Faith that he will return after one night.
Brown is faced with many obstacles leading him to the choice between good and evil. His vision, though not defined as reality or a dream, he sees people he knows, friends and family, heading towards evil, but in the end he is able to avoid being drawn into the dark evil side. This story basically portrays the simple and not so simple choices that people have to make daily and as they progress through their lives. The story displays choices and consequences that come as a result of making certain decisions. In the start of the story we meet Goodman Brown and his wife Faith who are saying their goodbyes to each other as Brown embarks on a journey through the forest. Faith begs Brown not to go because of the bad feelings she has been getting about this whole expedition, but Brown reassures her that everything will be alright, and he then leaves. This first choice of Browns is one of evil, because he still decides to go even though he knows of the wickedness that the forest withholds, instead of staying with his faith. Another aspect of evil in this decision is that we see the village as a light place, whereas the forest is known for being a dark and unpredictable place This is the case because in the village, people are normal, happy, everyday people going about their business, which is the light of his life.
The Essay on "Good People" By David Foster Wallace
“Good People”, written by David Foster Wallace, and published in the February 2007 issue of The New Yorker magazine is a story about two young Christians who are faced with the issue of an unplanned pregnancy. The critic reviewing this short story is Matt Bucher. He takes a psychological/philosophical approach and references the division and dichotomy within the story. Religious imagery is ...
The forest on the other hand is a very dark desolate place that is known for being unknown, unpredictable, and full of evil, which is generally put along side the mysterious aspects of any situation. When Brown runs into a stranger with a snake like staff we also see the evil portrayed in that regard. As they walk and talk the stranger claims they are not deep in the forest yet, but Brown says too far, but he still continues deeper into the forest. Brown realizes that his father would have never gone in that far, but yet that does not stop him from continuing his journey even deeper. At that time he recollects about his catechism teacher, but the stranger, representing the devil persuades Brown to embrace evil and go on with the journey into the darker part of the forest. This again we can relate to because we, too, have times in our lives where we are persuaded and tempted to do things that we may not otherwise decide to do.
Brown does the same thing by giving in to the persuasions and distractions from people he knows and trusts. In the story, Brown can be considered as a man making wrong decisions towards the evil side, but when the evil reveals whats really going on his true self is shown and rejects the evil and reaches for the good. The setting of this story is extremely important because every element in the story has to do with the mood of a character. If Brown is scared he sees everything as evil, but if he is in a calm state he views everything a safe and secure. Symbolism and other figurative language play a huge role in this particular story. Faith, for example is his wife, but also his actual faith in all he believes, loves, and trusts.
The Term Paper on Goodman Brown Faith Hawthorne Forest
this was my research to writing my paper. In Young Goodman Brown, the main character, Goodman Brown has a bout with his own faith. He ends up losing this battle because of the wickedness in everyone else's hearts. He begins by wanting to be the evil one, then progresses to be the faithful one as the night in the woods goes on. His name has a lot to do with the character in the story. The "Young" ...
This is a huge part in dealing with Browns innocence and whether he can hang onto his faith, and follow his own instincts as opposed as giving in to the evil he encounters, much like our own decisions we make daily in our lives. There are many levels at which faith can be seen. There is the surface, which is seeing faith as a person, but then faith takes the role of a higher force, which we all possess..
