YoungGoodmanBrown分析NathanielHawthorne.docx

YoungGoodmanBrown分析NathanielHawthorne.docx

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YoungGoodmanBrown分析NathanielHawthorne

Young-Goodman-Brown分析Nathaniel-Hawthorne

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）carriedoutataflame-litrockyaltar,thenewestconvertsarebroughtforth—GoodmanBrownandFaith.Theyaretheonlytwoofthetownspeoplenotyetinitiatedtotheforestrite.GoodmanBrowncallstoheaventoresistandinstantlythescenevanishes.

ArrivingbackathishomeinSalemthenextmorning,GoodmanBrownisuncertainwhetherthepreviousnight'seventswererealoradream,butheisdeeplyshaken,withthebeliefhelivedinaChristiancommunitydistorted.HeloseshisfaithinhiswifeFaith;heloseshisfaithinhumanity.Heliveshislifeanembitteredandsuspiciouscynicalman,waryofeveryonearoundhim,includinghiswifeFaith.Hawthorneconcludesthestorybywriting:

"Andwhenhehadlivedlong,andwasbornetohisgrave...theycarvednohopefulverseuponhistombstone,forhisdyinghourwasgloom

Background

ThestoryissetduringtheSalemwitchtrials,atwhichHawthorne'sgreat-great-grandfatherJohnHathornewasajudge.AccordingtoAmericanliteraturescholarJamesMellow,Hawthornewasplaguedbyguiltbyhisancestor'srole,wrotethestorytovindicatehisgrandfatherbyfeaturingtwofictionalvictimsofthewitchtrialswhowerewitchesandnotinnocentvictimsofthewitch-hunt.[1]ItwasalsothisancestralguiltthatinspiredHawthornetochangehisfamily'sname,addinga"w"inhisearlytwenties,shortlyaftergraduatingfromcollege.[2]

InhiswritingsHawthornequestionedestablishedthought—mostspecificallyNewEnglandPuritanismandcontemporaryTranscendentalism.In"YoungGoodmanBrown",aswithmuchofhisotherwriting,heexposesambiguity.[3]Theplotandtextualreferencesin"YoungGoodmanBrown"revealthePuritansasbeinglike"acityuponahill"asJohnWinthrop,afounderofPuritanism,said,andwantingtobeseenthatwayasgood,holymen.However,theirdoctrineteachesthatallmenareinherentlyevilandtheystrivetocauseeachpersontocometotermswiththisandrealizetheirsinfulnature.ThishypocrisythatHawthornepresentsinhisstoryishowhereflectsonthehypocriticalteachingsofthePuritans.TheytaughtthatmanwasinherentlyevilinnaturemuchinaccordancetoEnlightenmentphilosopherThomasHobbes.

Analysis

Themesandstyle

"YoungGoodmanBrown"isoftencharacterizedasanallegoryabouttherecognitionofevilanddepravityasthenatureofhumanity.[4]MuchofHawthorne'sfiction,suchasTheScarletLetter,issetin17th-centurycolonialAmerica,particularlySalem,Massachusetts.[5]Inordertoconveythesettinginhiswork,heusedliterarytechniquessuchasspecificdiction,orcolloquialexpressions,asin"YoungGoodmanBrown"inwhichlanguageoftheperiodisusedtoenhancethesetting.Hawthornegivesthecharacters,specificnamesthatdepictabstractpure&wholesomebeliefssuchas;YoungGoodmanBrown,andFaith.Thecharactersnames'ultimatelyserveasaparadoxintheconclusionofthestory.Theinclusionofthistechniquewastoprovideadefinitecontrastandirony.HawthorneaimstocritiquetheidealsofPuritansocietyandexpresshisdisdainforitthusillustratingthedifferencebetweentheappearanceofthoseinsocietyandtheirtrueidentities.[6]

LiteraryscholarWalterShearwritesthatHawthornestructuredthestoryinthreeparts.ThefirstpartshowsGoodmanBrownathishomeinhisvillageintegratedinhissociety.ThesecondpartofthestoryisanextendeddreamlikesequenceinwhichGoodmanBrownisintheforestforasinglenight.Thethirdpartshowshisreturntosocietyandtohishome,yetheissoprofoundlychangedthatinrejectingthegreetingofhiswifeFaith,HawthorneshowsGoodmanBrownhaslostfaithandrejectedthetenetsofhisPuritanworldduringthecourseofthenight.[7]

ThestoryisaboutGoodmanBrown'slossoffaithasoneoftheelect,writesJaneEberweinin"MyFaithisGone!

".Believinghimselftobeoftheelect,GoodmanBrownfallsintoself-doubtafterthreemonthsofmarriagewhichtohimrepresentssinanddepravityasopposedtosalvation.HisjourneytotheforestissymbolicofChristian"self-exploration"inwhichdoubtimmediatelysupplantsfaith.AttheendoftheforestexperienceheloseshiswifeFaith,hisfaithinsalvation,andhisfaithinhumangoodness.[

Characteranalysis

ThecharacterofGoodmanBrownrepresentsthatofthecommoneverydayman.Hisjourneythroughtheforestcomparestothejourneyeveryindividualtakestorealizetheirfaithandrecognizeevil.Hischaractershowsbothinnocenceandcorruptibilitythroughthechangeofhisbelieffromthepuregoodnessofhumannaturetotherecognitionofthepotentialevilwithinallmankind.AtthebeginningofthestoryGoodmanBrownbelievesinthegoodnessofhisfatherandgrandfather,aswellastheChristiannatureofGoodyCloyse,theministerandDeaconGooking.Asheprogressesthroughhisjourneyhelearnsthateachofthesefiguresareassociatedwithoracquaintancesoftheoldman,likelyrepresentingthedevilhimself.GoodmanBrownslackoftruereligionhoweverwasn’trevealeduntilthedevilindicatesattheceremonythatFaith,too,iscorruptible.

Faithashernamesuggests,servesasanothersymbolicideaandappearstobethemostpure-heartedcharacterinthestory.Herrighteousnessservesasasymbolforgood,purity,andthefaithanddevotionGoodmanBrownhasinGod.TheirnewlywedstatusservesasasymbolforhereadertorealizehisrelationshiphasnotyetbeenestablishedwithfaithorGod.Whenquestioningthegoodnessofpeople,GoodmanBrownclingstoFaithasjustificationtoresisttemptation.

Hawthorneportraysthedevilasanordinarymantosuggestthateveryman（GoodmanBrown）hasthecapacityforevil.Throughhisphysicalcharacteristics,itisinterpretedthatthismanisnodifferentfromanyothermaninSalemVillage.Thissuggeststhatthedevilissimplycreatedasanembodimentofalltheworstpartsofman.GoodyCloysewasthenameofanactualwomanwhowastriedandconvictedofwitchcraftduringthehistoricalSalemWitchTrialsof1692.HawthorneusesherasacitizenofSalemwhoteachesthebibletotheyouth.Althoughseeminglyreligiousandpure,shesecretlyattendswitchmagicceremoniesintheforest.TheMinisterisarespectablefigureastheministerofSalem,whoissoonindicatedasafollowerofthedevil.DeaconGookingisanothercharacterwhoisthoughttobeveryhonorableandreligious.AlthoughheisamemberoftheclergyinSalem,heappearstobeafollowerofthedevil.

[]Symbols

TheDevilsstaffisusedtorepresenttemptationasshowninthebookofGenesis.ThebiblicalserpenttempedEvetodefyGodandeatthefruitfromtheforbiddentree.Similarly,Hawthorneusedheserpentontheoldmansstaffasasymbolofanevildemon.LikeEve,Browniscondemnedbyhistemptationwhenhechosetopickupthestaffforafastertravel.Thisultimatelyrepresentshislossofinnocencetowardstemptationandcuriosity.

Faithspinkribbonisusedthroughoutthestoryasasymbolofinnocenceandpurity.Earlyon,HawthornementionstheribbonseveraltimesduringGoodmanBrownandFaith’sconversation.Thisimpliedahappy,youthfulambianceofFaithandtheirnewlyfoundmarriage.WhenBrownwashidingintheforestandbegantodoubtthegoodnessofthepurepeopleheknew,theribboncameflutteringdown.Thissuggestthattheonepureandholythingtohim,faith,hadfallenintothedevilsrealm.WhenreunitedwithFaithattheendofthestory,Brownnoticesthatshewasagainwearingthepinkribbon.ThuscastingdoubtsonGoodmanBrownaboutwhetherornothisexperiencewasreal.

Criticalresponseandimpact

HermanMelvillesaid"YoungGoodmanBrown"was"asdeepasDante"andHenryJamescalledita"magnificentlittleromance".[9]Hawthornehimselfbelievedthestorymadenomoreimpactthananyofhistales.Yearslaterhewrote,"Thesestorieswerepublished...inMagazinesandAnnuals,extendingoveraperiodoftenortwelveyears,andcomprisingthewholeofthewriter'syoungmanhood,withoutmaking（sofarashehaseverbeenaware）theslightestimpressiononthepublic."[10]ContemporarycriticEdgarAllanPoedisagreed,referringtoHawthorne'sshortstoriesas"theproductsofatrulyimaginativeintellect".[11]OneofHawthorne'sgoodfriends,HermanMelvillecommentsontheunderlyingdepthofthestory"youwouldofcoursesupposethatitwasasimplelittletale,intendedasasupplementto'GoodyTwoShoes'WhereasitisasdeepasDante."1[12]ModernsscholarsandcritiquesgenerallyviewtheshortstoryasanallegoricaltalewrittentoexposethecontradictionsinplaceconcerningPuritanbeliefsandsocieties.However,therehavebeenmanyotherinterpretationsofthetextincludingthosewhobelieveHawthornesympathizeswithPuritanbeliefs.AuthorHaroldBloomcommentsonthevarietyofexplanations;"YoungGoodmanBrownhasbeenpresentedasanallegoricalrevelationofhumandepravity,asasymbolicstudyofsexualinitiation,asaninquiryintogenerationalconflict,asademonstrationofPuritanhypocrisy,asevidenceofHawthorn'ssympathytowardsPuritansociety,andevenjustasanartfullydesignedshortstorymakingnoessentialreferencebeyonditself".[13]

Themes

Theme1HowthePuritans’strictmoralcodeandoveremphasisonthesinfulnessofhumankindfosterunduesuspicionanddistrust.GoodmanBrown’sexperienceintheforest—whetherdreamorreality—causeshimtolosehisfaithinothersanddieanunhappyman.Notethelastwordsofthestory:

“Theycarvednohopefulverseuponhistombstone;forhisdyinghourwasgloom.”

Theme2Therealizationthatevilcaninfectpeoplewhoseemupright.GoodmanBrowndiscoversthate