Thursday, January 12, 2012

Journal 12 - Young Goodman Brown

1. “Young Goodman Brown” is an allegory (symbolic narrative). What do the following represent?

Young Goodman Brown – a good person, innocent, but doesn’t understand the world and everybody’s true nature. He tries to remain good and resist the temptation throughout the story.


Faith – it represents not only his wife, but his religious faith as well. He talks about how Faith was holding him back, which can interpret as his religion holding him back from experiencing other things in the world.


The Elderly Traveller/Fellow-Traveller – personification of the devil. Everyone travels down the road of temptation


Goody Cloyse – corruption, hypocrisy


The Ceremony – this represents how everyone has a sinful nature to them. Celebrating a sinful nature and acknoledging that everyone has a sinful nature to them


The Pink Ribbon – when the ribbon falls and Goodman sees it, it represents the loss of faith


Young Goodman Brown’s Journey – in town people act a certain way, faithful, but in the woods, he learns the true nature of everyone.



2. Identify the following for “Young Goodman Brown”:

Theme Message of Theme Element Used to Establish



The theme for the story of Young Goodman Brown would be deception. Deception best describes it because in the story, it shows in the beginning that everyone in Salem is seen as faithful to God for the reason that they are all Puritans. When it becomes nightfall though, the main character starts to see everyone’s true nature, of which they were hiding. This true nature would be that they have become unfaithful. After learning this, the character starts to fall apart at knowing that everyone he ever knew that was at the ceremony was lie. The element that can be used to establish this story would be setting.






In addition, provide three direct quotes from the story that address your theme.

1. “There is no good on the earth; and sin is but a name. Come devil; for to thee is the world given.”

2. “leaving him in the heart of the dark wilderness, still rushing onward with the instinct that guides mortal man to evil.”

3. But, irreverently consorting with these grave, reputable, and pious people, these elders of the church, these chaste dames and dewy virgins, there were men of dissolute lives and women of spotted fame, wretches given over to all mean and filthy vice, and suspected even of horrid crimes.

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