Evil, Faith, and Redemption in Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown Essay

Evil, Faith, and Redemption in Hawthornes Young Goodman BrownThere are many things that go on behind closed doors in todays culture. In many cases it is non closed doors that conceal what goes on, but the dark. Usually what is not seen is not considered good. During the time of early America, there was an outlet that came to be known as the Salem witch trials. This event has sparked many debates and many folk tales. Nathaniel Hawthorne writes in a way to show the error of newfangled culture. This style allows him to speak to everyone, including his own community. He does this by using the themes of the story to show the tendencies of modern culture. In Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown the themes of redemption, the root word of evil, and the big businessman of faith are developed and can be used to show the chores in todays culture. The belief of redemption, in modern day culture, bases itself on human perspective over Gods intervention, and human perspective is how the main chara cter in Young Goodman Brown believed he found his salvation. This is not the actual way to bob up redemption. Redemption, according to the Bible, is the payment of sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The story begins as a man, Goodman Brown, leaves to go out to a concussion that turns out to be for witchcraft and finds himself torn between going to the meeting or deciding to stay at home. Brown wants to go home to his married woman Faith and believes if he goes back he will not be punished for his sins. At first hecomes to a decision to discontinue his berth to the meeting he later changes his mind and chooses to move on his path to the meeting and sin. Brown decides to continue because of the shock he just recei... ...ut the faith they have. Hawthorne leaves the problem of faithless people unresolved. I believe he does this to show that faith is an idea that is so loosely thrown around that it has lost its meaning. Simply stated, redemption, the source of e vil, and the power of faith are themes developed by Nathaniel Hawthorne that display problems in todays culture. Although these issues occur frequently, many people decide to ignore them. numerous of these difficult situations in todays society present themselves behind closed doors or in the dark. These problems happen today, and they have happened in the past. It is best that we find a way to deal with these issues before they reach the future. Works CitedHawthorne, Nathaniel. Young Goodman Brown.Making Literature Matter. Ed. JohnSchilb and John Clifford. Boston Bedford/St. Martins, 2000. 1085-95.