A Representation of Evil In the Story “Young Goodman Brown”

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has moral, social, religious, or political significance, and characters are often personifications of abstract ideas as charity, greed, or envy." The battle of good and evil with in Goodman Brown begins with the name of the story. The name "Goodman" implies simple innocence, and then he uses "Brown" suggesting common absence of purity in the character. The author follows with this idea within the opening paragraph; "Young Goodman Brown came forth at sunset into the street at Salem village; but put his head back, after crossing the threshold, [HYPERLINK: javascript:void(0);] to exchange a parting kiss with his young wife. [HYPERLINK: javascript:void(0);]" (Hawthorne 1) It shows Goodman's determination to leave behind his righteousness, beliefs and purity. He also shows doubt since he put his head back to get a glance of what he was leaving behind and might never get back. Goodman knew too well that by beginning this quest in search of the unknown into uncharted territories, he would ...

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knowledge. It is so powerful and overwhelming to Brown that it seems to drown his beliefs and make them look miniscule compared to what is ahead. "He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through, and closed immediately behind." (Hawthorne 1) Brown realizes by the time he enter the forest that there is no way to go back. And even if he wanted to get out, Brown had made-up his mind to finish this quest for evil. The forest also represents a test of strength, courage, and endurance for Brown; "there is this peculiarity in such solitude, that the traveler knows not who may be concealed by tall ...

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