The Puritan Way, Essay Example

Within Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”, the long night spent dreaming of a trip through the woods with the devil helps to illuminate the irony and hypocrisy of the puritan lifestyle for Goodman Brown.  The main character refuses to join forces with the devil and give in to his pleas, but the climactic scene near the end of the story suggests that every single puritan is actually working for Satan.  In a rather long oratory, the devil explains that the puritans gathered in the ritualistic event had all engaged in sinful behaviors, which is why he considered them his children or his converts.  While puritan societies were supposed to be clearly Christian and containing a life full of morals, Hawthorne suggests the irony of every puritan within Salem being a sinner.  The Goodman Brown character and the evil within him is a direct result of his own actions, the actions of his family and the actions of his fellow puritans working with the devil.

At the very beginning of the story, Goodman Brown has an interaction with his wife that shows his evil nature and the conflict within himself.  His wife Faith begins by begging him not to leave the house by saying “… prithee put off your journey until sunrise and sleep in your own bed to-night” (Hawthorne).  Brown shrugs off her pleas and disrespects her wishes without giving it a single thought.  Furthermore, Brown has the opportunity to turn down the devil on multiple occasions, but he chooses to allow the devil’s words to keep him in the woods.  This is evident in the passage that reads “Thus the pair proceeded, at a good free pace, until suddenly, in a gloomy hollow of the road, Goodman Brown sat himself down on the stump of a tree and refused to go any farther” (Hawthorne).  Clearly, Brown’s evil nature is a direct reflection of his own actions.  Brown shows that he is conflicted because he tries to leave the devil’s side multiple times and even defends his friends and family, but ultimately the good-natured part of his personality never wins.  Goodman Brown is evil because of his own rational choices.

Throughout the story, many characters are shown to have engaged in behaviors that were not following the puritan way, especially the evil actions performed by Goodman Brown’s family.  The devil explains his close connection with Brown’s family at the beginning of their journey together through the forest.  He said, “I helped your grandfather, the constable, when he lashed the Quaker woman so smartly through the streets of Salem.”  This statement shows that the Brown family has a long history of sinful actions.  The devil also mentioned that “…it was I that brought your father a pitchpine knot, kindled at my own hearth, to set fire to an Indian village, in King Philip’s war.”  These family members had engaged in the sinful and evil acts of beating women and killing Indians.  Just as people develop learned behaviors from their relatives, Goodman Brown’s evil nature also comes from the personality and historical actions of his ancestors.

Finally, Goodman Brown’s evil nature comes directly from the puritan society in which he lives and has devoted himself to their ideals.  The final scene of the story shows that even the good deacon and the minister worked on behalf of the devil during this satanic, evil ritual.  “But he had no power to retreat one step, nor to resist, even in thought, when the minister and good old Deacon Gookin seized his arms and led him to the blazing rock” (Hawthorne).  It is supposedly the case that no puritan would engage in behaviors that would work in favor of the devil, but Hawthorne suggests that no person is completely clean.  Almost every person he knew in the Puritan society had made their way to the ritual.  “… [Brown] recognized a score of the church members of Salem village famous for their especial sanctity. Good old Deacon Gookin had arrived, and waited at the skirts of that venerable saint, his revered pastor” (Hawthorne).  All individuals have sinned and this is against the puritan belief system, but is clearly shown through the hypocrisy of the multitude of sinful acts engaged within the short story.  These religious beliefs and societal actions provide no escape for Goodman Brown and the evil nature within him is released and haunts him for the rest of his days.

Although Goodman Brown struggles with his views of good and evil, his evil nature is harbored and accented by his own actions, the actions of his family and the actions of members within his society.  The devil is described as the charismatic being that negotiates with Brown to show him how evil actions and devotion to the devil are justified.  Although Brown is obviously conflicted throughout the story and attempts to part ways with the devil, he is never successful and always gives in to his evil nature.  Hawthorne uses the character of Goodman Brown to emphasize the conflict of good and evil, and describes the multiple sources where Brown succumbs to his evil nature.

Works Cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne.” The Literature Network: Online classic literature, poems, and quotes. Essays & Summaries. Web. 26 April 2010. <http://www.online-literature.com/hawthorne/158/>.