Introduction
About Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”, Nathaniel Hawthorne does not directly attack but launches a mildly pleasant criticism against its form prevalent in the United States during the early period of the 19th century. At that time, people used to pay more attention to religious rituals and considered them yardsticks to judge a person’s moral worth. Like all other literary pieces, the story reflects the cultural milieu in which Nathaniel Hawthorne had to live and present his views about the issues involving religion; a very sensitive issue at that time. Therefore, a direct attack against Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown” would have immediately invited wrath against him for being a heretic. Sensing this, he has sagaciously invented characters and placed them in a situation where their faith and belief systems face an extreme test. The characters find that they are not only ordinary human beings but that all others, too, have the same nature. The faith of their religious piety and devotion to religious causes experience a severe jolt when Goodman Brown finds that almost all characters have the same fallible nature as he himself has. Hawthorne, therefore, has criticized the religious faith of that time, using symbolic characters, ironic dialogues, and creating a dreamy and allegorical story using religious-like characters.
Indirect Attack against Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”
The first mild and indirect attack against Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is in the shape of the characters. The protagonist is Goodman Brown, whose very name is suggestive of goodness but his nocturnal errand is entirely contrary to his name’s expected role. The next in line is his wife who is Faith and he even calls her “my Faith” (672) by which it also means that she is his faith. However, she is also seen in the Devil’s company when he goes to the forest and sees several good characters from his village, “Salem” there. The village name itself is a symbol of peace and religious tranquility. Then he remembers “Where is my Faith?” (679) which is an irony not only about his wife’s name but also about his very faith. The same is the case of Goody Cloyse who is a very good Christian but in the meeting with the Old Man, she reveals she is with him. Even the Minister and Deacon Gookin, a clergyman from Salem, is present in the meeting despite being very good names belonging to the religious hierarchy. Almost all of these names are very pointed ones in the sense that they connote religious meanings but their actions in the forest before the Devil are showing them otherwise. Even in the real world, it happens almost the same that deeply religious people hide their nature from the public. This ironic situation continues even in dialogs against Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”.
Moreover, similar to dialogs, Hawthorne has used a very pointed and ironic dialog of the characters against Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”. When Goodman Brown is going to the forest, his wife Faith whispers in his ears “A lone woman is trouble with such dreams and such thoughts” (672), which is proved when she is found in the company of the Old Man in the forest even before Goodman reaches there. He even implores her not to doubt him “dost thou doubt me already” (672) which shows that he suspects her of knowing his intentions of meeting the Devil in the forest. Another such thinking comes to Goodman when he is going through the forest, knowing that he is going to meet the Devil but thinks that “There may be a devilish Indian behind every tree” (673), which is not only ironic by also hypocritical. When the Old Man asks him the reason for coming late, then again he speaks the same ironic language that is “Faith kept me back” (674), which could also mean that he has misgivings about the Devil and that his religious faith was keeping him back. All these dialogs clearly show how Nathaniel Hawthorne has put the whole belief system of Puritanism to doubt. It is through ironic dialogs that he has criticized the faith of different characters. However, it is very interesting to note all the characters have created a very good allegory.
Situation of Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”
The story has been set in a dream-like situation in which a good young man with the same name leaves his faithful wife having the same name. Both harbors very strict religious ideas due to their being residents of the village Salem, a true village, around which Hawthorne has constructed his story. Due to the nature of its names and their similarity with the religion of Puritanism, the story is a deep allegory that represents the culture of Salem at that time. In the story, Young Goodman Brown loses his innocence and gullible nature due to having seen all other relations and Christian characters in the Devil’s company. The Devil is successful even in seducing his parents who were considered deeply religious and pious people. The end result is that he feels fully disenchanted with the piety of the people. Therefore, it leaves a moral lesson that no person seems truly innocent until he undergoes a trial and test. Therefore, this entire Christian allegory mocks the Puritan beliefs of those times when it was ruling the roost in Salem and around it and different people were persecuted due to being called heretics on account of their faiths or differences with the religious authorities. Therefore, it is still not such a scathing attack against Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”.
Conclusion
In short, Nathaniel Hawthorne has used his storywriting skills to criticize the religious dogmas of Puritanism and blind faith in religious figures of Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”. He has done this by using symbolic characters and making them speak pointed and ironic dialogs. He has also built his story as an allegory with a moral that no person should be naïve enough to consider others deeply religious when he himself is not as religious as Goodman Brown. The story revolves around the naivety and gullibility that Goodman shows toward his forefathers, his wife, and other religious figures of the village with whom he finds himself in the forest in the Devil’s meeting. Almost all the literary tools in the story are at the disposal of Hawthorne to criticize the religious beliefs of Puritanism prevalent at that time.
Works Cited
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Young Goodman Brown.” Norton Anthology of American Literature Edited by Nina Baym and Robert S. Levine. WW Norton. 2012. p. 672-679.
Relevant Questions about Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”
- How does Nathaniel Hawthorne depict the influence of Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown,” and what impact does it have on the characters and plot?
- In what ways does Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown” shape the moral dilemmas and conflicts faced by the protagonist, Goodman Brown?
- What symbols and allegorical elements are used to represent Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown,” and how do they contribute to the story’s themes and message?