“Revealing The Mistakes Of Puritanism”

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“Revealing the Mistakes of Puritanism”
    Proverbs 10:28 implies the idea of the universality of sin in saying “The prospect of the
righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.” In “Young Goodman Brown”,
Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates this through Brown’s actions. When Brown lives a righteous
life with good faith, his thoughts remain pure and happy. He has a wonderful wife, and he
enjoys the presence of everyone. As he takes his walk into the forest and into evil ways, his
hopes and faith disappear. He no longer loves his wife in the same way, and he despises
everyone whom people consider were holy. When he loses his faith, he loses his happiness. To
regain his happiness, Brown must find his righteousness again. Puritans believe there is no hope
for a sinner. Hawthorne uses a variety of writing techniques to condemn the rigidity of
Puritanism.
    For example, Hawthorne uses a wide variety of diction to create a mystical and hopeless
mood. As Brown walks into the “dreary” forest, an “uncertain” feeling comes over him as he
looks ahead to the “gloom” awaiting him. The forest is very dark and dreary and these words
help create the eerie mood. These words create an insecure and unsure feeling in the reader’s
mind. The reader feels as if he stands right there on the outskirts of the forest along with Brown.
That type of feeling scares even the bravest of men. Hawthorne also describes the events taking
place in the forest as “devilish,” “horrid,” and “evil.” Evil completely surrounds Brown in the
forest. It puts a thought in him which drives him crazy. These words give a very insecure
feeling to the reader. No one likes the feeling of evil, which Hawthorne portrays all throughout
the story. The evil feeling adds to the dreary mood, and it also gives a hopeless feeling to the
reader. Nothing good comes out of evil, and these words tell the reader that something horrible
might happen. He then describes Brown as “stern,” or “sad,” or even a “desperate man,” who
needs help. Brown’s experiences horrify him. They eventually change him to a stern and sad
man. He can never see his friends and loved ones the same. When you think of hopelessness,
disparity often comes to mind. Brown feels desperate and hopeless about his future. He doesn’t
know what to do about this nightmare. The thought of losing his wonderful past frightens him.
    Also, symbolism plays a large role in promoting the idea of universal capacity for sin.
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