YoungGoodmanBrown分析NathanielHawthorneWord文件下载.docx

YoungGoodmanBrown分析NathanielHawthorneWord文件下载.docx

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sjourneyintoself-scrutinywhichresultsinhislossoffaith.

Plotsummary

ThestorybeginsatsunsetinSalem,Massachusetts,asyoungGoodmanBrownleavesFaith,hiswifeofthreemonths,foranunknownerrandintheforest.Faithpleadswithherhusbandto

）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"

aswithmuchofhisotherwriting,heexposesambiguity.[3]Theplotandtextualreferencesin"

revealthePuritansasbeinglike"

acityuponahill"

asJohnWinthrop,afounderofPuritanism,said,andwantingtobeseenthatwayasgood,holymen.However,theirdoctrineteachesthatallmenareinherentlyevilandtheystrivetocauseeachpersontocometotermswiththisandrealizetheirsinfulnature.ThishypocrisythatHawthornepresentsinhisstoryishowhereflectsonthehypocriticalteachingsofthePuritans.TheytaughtthatmanwasinherentlyevilinnaturemuchinaccordancetoEnlightenmentphilosopherThomasHobbes.

Analysis

Themesandstyle

isoftencharacterizedasanallegoryabouttherecognitionofevilanddepravityasthenatureofhumanity.[4]MuchofHawthorne'

sfiction,suchasTheScarletLetter,issetin17th-centurycolonialAmerica,particularlySalem,Massachusetts.[5]Inordertoconveythesettinginhiswork,heusedliterarytechniquessuchasspecificdiction,orcolloquialexpressions,asin"

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"

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,asasymbolicstudyofsexuali