Nathaniel Hawthorne and his Work: A Deep Dive into Puritanism and Allegory
Dive into the life and literary works of Nathaniel Hawthorne, born into a prominent Puritan family in Salem. Explore his allegorical masterpiece "Young Goodman Brown," dissecting themes of Puritanism, allegory, and human nature. Uncover insights into his prominent friends and the impact of his writings on American literature.
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Biography born into a prominent Puritan family in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804. His ancestors, among the earliest settlers, included John Hathorne, a judge at the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692. After his father, a sea captain, died of yellow fever when Hawthorne was four, he was raised by his widowed mother in an atmosphere of mournful seclusion.
Prominent Friends Herman Melville, writing a penetrating study of Hawthorne's writings, 'Hawthorne and His Mosses' (1850). Poe, calling Hawthorne 'the example, par excellence, in this country, of the privately- admired and publicly-underappreciated man of genius 1847. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a college friend. Franklin Pierce, US President elected in 1853. 2024-09-13 35576-02 2
Young Goodman Brown Nathaniel Hawthorne
Young Goodman Brown "Young Goodman Brown , a short story published in 1835. the Calvinist/Puritan belief that all of humanity exists in a state of depravity, except those who are born in a state of grace. exposing the hypocrisy of Puritan culture. Young Goodman Brown's symbolic journey into self-scrutiny resulting in his loss of virtue and faith. 2024-09-13 35576-02 4
Allegory a literary device in which characters or events in a literary, visual, or musical art form represent or symbolize ideas and concepts to illustrate complex ideas and concepts in ways that are easily digestible and tangible to its viewers, readers, or listeners. an extended metaphor like Plato's "Allegory of the Cave." Young Goodman Brown as an allegory about the recognition of evil and depravity as the nature of humanity. 2024-09-13 35576-02 5
Puritanism a movement to reform the Church of England accepting the interpretations of John Calvin (1509-64) on the nature of man, free will and predestination. Covenants, the promises which God makes to human beings and which are recorded in the Bible such as the covenant of works and the covenant of grace. 2024-09-13 35576-02 6
Characters: Goodman Brown A young resident of Salem and the story s protagonist. Goodman Brown is a good Christian who has recently married Faith. He takes pride in his family s history of piety and their reputation in the community as godly men. His curiosity, however, leads him to accept an invitation from a mysterious traveler to observe an evil ceremony in middle of the forest, one that shocks and disillusions him. 2024-09-13 35576-02 7
Faith Goodman Brown s wife. Faith is young, beautiful, and trusting, and Goodman Brown sees her as the embodiment of virtue. Although Goodman Brown initially ignores Faith s claims to have had disturbing nightmares, seeing her at the evil ceremony in the forest prompts him to question his wife s righteousness. 2024-09-13 35576-02 8
The Old Man/Devil Theman, possibly the devil, who tempts Goodman Brown into attending the ceremony in the forest. The man intercepts Goodman Brown in the middle of the dark road, then presides over the ceremony. He sees through the Salem villagers charade of Christian piety and prides himself on the godly men he has been able to turn to evil. 2024-09-13 35576-02 9
Goody Cloyse A citizen of Salem Village who reveals herself to be a witch. Goody Cloyse is a Christian woman who helps young people learn the Bible, but in secret she performs magic ceremonies and attends witch meetings in the forest. Goody Cloyse was the name of an actual woman who was tried and convicted of witchcraft during the historical Salem Witch Trials of 1692. 2024-09-13 35576-02 10
The Minister The minister of Salem. The minister, a respectable pillar of the community, appears to be a follower of the devil. 2024-09-13 35576-02 11
Deacon Gookin A member of the clergy in Salem who appears to be a follower of the devil. The deacon is an important man in the church of Salem, and Goodman Brown thinks of him as very religious. 2024-09-13 35576-02 12
Historical Context the Salem Witch Trials of 1692: the villagers of Salem killed twenty-five innocent people who were accused of being witches. the Puritan intolerance of the Quakers: forbidding Quakers from settling in their towns and made it illegal to be a Quaker leading to imprisonments and hangings King Philip s King War: a series of small skirmishes between Indians and colonists from 1675 to 1676. 2024-09-13 35576-02 13
Dark Romance Vivid descriptions of morbid or gloomy events, coupled with emotional or psychological torment. Emphasis on emotion and extremity with a gothic sensibility. 2024-09-13 35576-02 14
The Fall of Man an allegory of the fall of man to illustrate the inherent fallibility and hypocrisy in American religion. a story of a man tempted by the devil because of his curiosity and the weakness of his faith. Like Eve in the book of Genesis, Goodman Brown cannot help himself from wanting to know what lies behind the mystery of the forest. 2024-09-13 35576-02 15
