The Influence of Society on the Young Goodman Brown

Nathaniel Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown illustrates vividly how society and culture can very much influence a persons sense of identity and belonging, or in the case of Young Goodman Brown the lack thereof. Being a Puritan man in a society that scorned the ways of witches and the devil, Young Goodman Brown grew up with a very pious outlook on life. Yet when it occurs to him to look at life a little bit differently, Young Goodman Brown receives more than he has bargained for. The journey he embarks on sheds a whole new light on his society that not only creates a struggle between himself and his fellow men but also one within himself. From the beginning of Hawthornes story a test of faith prevails. From the moment that Young†¦show more content†¦He was able to at least blindly acknowledge the new side to Goody Close, and the minister and the Deacon, but with the sight of her pink ribbon after one stupefied moment Young Goodman Brown cried my Faith is gone (190). On the outside he believes his wife too has fallen into the trap of the devil yet on the inside he has lost his own faith. There is no good on earthÂ…come, devil; for to thee is this world given (190). To Goodman Brown his world is now over and with his faith in the world, in his society gone he succumbs to the evilness of the forest. This madness that Young Goodman Brown experiences escalates further more the psychological struggle he is having. What he learns in this forest changes him so much that he cannot look at anything without judging it in the manner of his experience. As Walter Shear puts it, he underestimates the power of time, failing to see the degree to which he hasÂ…made himself a particular kind of individual, (and) ultimately the prisoner of his own psychological prisoner (Shear, 545). Young Goodman Brown came into the journey somewhat aware of what he would see in terms of the presence of evil but did not believe that one night of this evil could change his life forever. Due to the strict Puritan society he was used to, Young Goodman Brown underestimated the power that this journey would hold and therefore he becomes aShow MoreRelatedNathaniel Hawthornes Literature During Early America1560 Words   |  7 PagesNathaniel Hawthornes literature exhibits the influence of many factors. Much of his literature addresses Puritan culture in early America, commonly focusing on the shortcomings and hypocrisies that became apparent during the numerous witch hunts. Many of his works are allegorical, using the Puritan setting to portray his own ideas about ancestry, history, and religion. 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