Introduction: Criticism of Religion in “Young Goodman Brown”
Criticism of religion in “Young Goodman Brown” is apparent in the shape of names, religious conventions, and norms. In Christianity, religious persecution has left horrendous marks on the Western civilization. Not only in the United Kingdom during the 16th and 17th centuries, but also in the United States, or New England at that time, it has demonstrated this persecution, sometimes, in the shape of witch-trails and at other times in outright killings perpetrated in the name of God. The Catholics found themselves victims of this Puritanism which spread from The Massachusetts Bay Colony to Virginian and other states. The women suffered the most during its dominance. As Hawthorne’s parents were also from Salem and belonged to the Puritan school of thought, it was but natural to be involved in those witch-hunt trials. Hawthorne did much to exonerate his parents of their wrong-doings regarding witch-hunt trials as Meltzer Milton has argued in the biography of Hawthorne (14-35). criticism of religion in “Young Goodman Brown” is a conscious effort on his part to further exonerate his parents from the allegations of religious persecution and witch-hunt. This dreamy story of the young Goodman Brown visiting the dark forest at night and seeing all the pious personas of his village in the devil’s company, makes him disenchanted not only about the piety of the religious figures but also about the religion itself. To show this disenchantment, Hawthorne uses symbols, allegorical shades, and dreamy situations in his criticism of religion in “Young Goodman Brown” to remove pious masks religious people wear to hide their hypocrisy.
Criticism of Religion in “Young Goodman Brown”
Writers often use different but relevant symbols to criticize an idea. Hawthorne uses the same technique of employing different types of symbols to make his meanings clear to the readers in his criticism of religion in “Young Goodman Brown”. These symbols include darkness, light, red and white. The specific targets are the Puritan dogmas. The very mention of the forest in the beginning of the story evokes ominous feelings regarding something bad, and it is mentioned before the forest that “Goodman Brown felt himself justified in making more haste on his present evil purpose” (Hawthorne 348). This means that Goodman Brown knows that this is an evil purpose and that he himself is going to the forest. The other symbol associated with evil is darkness, which is also associated with the forest, for Goodman comes out at night to visit the forest. The third is the symbol of loneliness that seems more in the “heart of the dark wilderness,” where wilderness, too, is a symbol of having no restriction to control freedom (353). It is because Goodman Brown has also come into this wilderness to have a taste of liberty from the strictly religious life. All these symbols show that good men such as Goodman Brown and his parents as well as the religious figures of his village are not as good as they pose themselves. Rather, they have committed the sins which they hypocritically hide in their religious masks. However, Hawthorne gas exposed them through these symbols. The color red is associated with sacredness, resembling the red blood of Jesus Christ. Here it is the ribbon of Faith, his wife. The light is associated with knowledge, and when Goodman Brown “saw red light before him,”, it means that everything has dawned upon him, the pious purpose of his arrival as well as the knowledge of what is going to happen (352).
Allegory and Criticism of Religion in “Young Goodman Brown”
Hawthorne has beautifully woven the entire tale as if it is an allegory in which Goodman Brown goes on an errand in the forest at night and comes across the devil and his company where he sees all the pious characters of his village, including his ancestors. This is a typical style of his criticism of religion in “Young Goodman Brown.” Interestingly, he harbors good ideas about them. Even his wife, Faith is there who has warned him about “what work is to be done tonight” (348). It seems he is like an Adam, who has transgressed the commands of God and has now fallen from the grace into the pit of this earth. These allegorical shades in the story have made it a fine critique of some of the Puritan ideas and hypocrisy of the followers and the religious order. It becomes further allegorical about the man and his fall that he himself is exposed as a hypocrite having shown his face as a good young man in Salem. But here he is with every other person who is in the devil’s company. It shows that nobody is as pious as he/she shows himself in the social circle including religious figures. It is at this stage that he cries out, “My Faith is lost” which has dual meanings (358). That is the very reason that he becomes disenchanted regarding the entire religious clerical order as well as his ancestors, making his criticism of religion in “Young Goodman Brown” sharp and biting.
Ambiguity and Criticism of Religion in “Young Goodman Brown”
Hawthorne has used the technique of ambiguity by using a dreamlike situation in his criticism of religion in “Young Goodman Brown”. It is unclear whether Goodman Brown has really a dream or whether he has gone through this practical experience. “Had Goodman Brown fallen asleep in the forest and only dreamed a wild dream of a witch-meeting?” or was it real or not is a debatable question (364). However, it is clear that through this dream, Goodman Brown has come to know several bitter realities of life. He has learned that his forefathers were not as pious as he assumed. He sees that the religious figures are not as religious as they pose themselves in Salem. He sees that the good women are not as good as they show themselves in Salem. He even comes to know that his wife, Faith, is also of the same lot. That is the point where he feels that he has lost his own faith and that is why “it was a dream of evil omen for young Goodman Brown,” and he loses faith in religion or Puritanism (459).
Conclusion: Criticism of Religion in “Young Goodman Brown”
Concluding the argument of using different literary techniques to attack a dogma in his criticism of religion in “Young Goodman Brown”, it is easy to assert that Hawthorne has been at his best in attacking Puritanism at a time when nobody dared challenge the clergy. He has used a variety of religious symbols to show that, religion has been used as a tool to hoodwink the people. He has used an allegory like the fall of the man to show that a person becomes disenchanted after watching the hypocrisy of religious figures. However, the dreamy and confused situation of Goodman Brown has shown that a person can see reality through a dream. That is why Goodman Brown has turned into a “stern, a darkly meditative, a distrustful” young man following this dream of the journey to the forest (460). The interesting point is that even during his death, he is not given a proper Christian burial, as “they carved no hopeful verse upon his tombstone, for his dying hour was gloom,” which means that the religious hypocritical figures denied him a proper burial, a strong remark made by Hawthorne against the religious figures of that time (461). This is how criticism of religion in “Young Goodman Brown” proves a scathing critique on Puritan dogmas and values.
Works Cited: Criticism of Religion in “Young Goodman Brown”
- Meltzer, Milton. Nathaniel Hawthorne: A Biography. Minneapolis. Twenty First Century Books. 2007. p. 14-35.
- Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Young Goodman Brown.” Norton Anthology of American Literature edited by Nina Baym and Robert S. Levine. WW Norton. 2012. p. 451-461.
Relevant Questions about Criticism of Religion in “Young Goodman Brown”
- How does Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” explore the theme of criticism of religion, and what specific elements of religious practice or belief are targeted in the story?
- In “Young Goodman Brown,” how does Hawthorne use criticism of religion as a central motif, and what symbols or characters represent this critique within the narrative?
- Could you elaborate on the role of criticism of religion in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown,” highlighting key passages or dialogues that emphasize this theme?