Young Goodman Brown: Faith vs. Curiosity Essay Example

Introduction

One of the most riveting stories ever written is Young Goodman Brown, a literary masterpiece by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The short story has become a contentious issue with different scholars, especially on what caused the downfall of Young Goodman Brown. The story follows the author's journey into the Puritan sense of sin, self-scrutiny and his ultimate loss of faith. Levy in his article, "The Problem of Faith in "Young Goodman Brown" believes that the Puritan faith is the problem as it is marred by hypocrisy. Levy documents the frustrations that Young encountered from the people who guided him in his faith most after discovering that they chose evil over good. Levy's article highlights the corrupted nature of religion and how it pushed Brown into despair. Norman on the other hand critics the story as an allegorical tale written to expose the conscious human awareness of sin and man's constant desire to explore the unknown in his article Narrative Structure and Theme in "Young Goodman Brown." He also explores the continuous struggle that man faces in making sound moral decisions. Young Goodman had the opportunity to hold on to faith, but he instead chose to veer into the unknown despite the warnings. His confidence blindsides him, and his heart yearns to experience the reality of what is attainable through faith. The paper aims at analyzing the views of two different authors on the downfall of Young Goodman Brown.

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Norman's case: Man's curiosity is the Problem

Norman presents a matter of logic and curiosity versus faith. Man is inherently curious, and he always strives to find answers to unknown things. Sometimes the principles and philosophies held are overpowered by man's curiosity, and this may lead to human demise. The case of Brown is a perfect representation of the situation. Norman presents the serious consequences with poor judgment. Brown represents the human desire constant need for reality. Some of the misunderstood external objects are a source of conflict for our minds. Brown is thus criticized for his inability to control his brain (Hostetler 221).

Recognizing the reasons for Brown's behavior is essential in placing the story into context. Although different authors may have deluded the experience as a dream or a hallucination, the question is in the decisions Brown made as an individual, which finally subject him to a life of solitude and isolation. Young Goodman Brown sets out from his home in Salem village after bidding goodbye to his wife Faith, who begged him not to go. Faith can be understood from the outward meaning of his wife's name or the deeper meaning of his Puritan beliefs. Hawthorne describes Faith as wearing pink ribbons. Faith is afraid of the dark and wants him to stay in. They had only been married for three years, but Brown was stubborn and failed to listen to her. He instead asked her to pray and retire to bed. He then departs for his meeting with the devil (221).

Norman presents brown as a character driven by his emotional vagaries and his wild motivations blind him from seeing the truth. Different predicaments face him in his journey, and despite the findings, he is adamant that his faith will not change. This is primarily due to his preconceived notions of what entailed external reality, and this led to his self-destruction. Brown assumes that an absolute truth occurs in the external world, which an ordinary man perceives to exist only by faith. He is thus extreme in attributing his mental impressions to external realities. Brown fails to take into account that the sources of his ideas may lie primarily on his head and in his imagination. Consequently, the journey's with the devil to discover the source of evil and morality. With the information, he believes that he will be pretty confident on how to control darkness, define it and understand why people indulge in sin (223).

Thus, the analogy presented overpowers him, and despite going back, he journeys more in-depth into the forest, and his revelations become worse with time. When Brown hears the voice of Faith in the woods, he realizes that she is headed for the meetings and he decides to tag along. Despite all that he has seen, Brown still holds on to the goodness that is in the world and believes that everyone can be redeemed. However, that was not the case which caused him massive internal conflicts after returning from the woods. Hawthorne describes his lead character as sad and distrustful. The experience made him reject his religion and his wife. Moreover, he becomes suspicious of everybody in the town. He presently accepts what the devil said in regards to how evil is in all of humankind as a result of what he found in the woods. He consequently concludes that "there is no good on earth but, sin in its name."(224).

Levy's Article: Faith is the Problem

Levy examines the question of faith on which the allegory is based on. His article propagates that the corrupted faith led to the emotional and spiritual demise of Brown. Leo begins by giving a brief analogy of how the story unfolds and how different characters will exhibit the abstractions they symbolize. His is the journey of a man into the mystery of evil that is demystified most broadly. Brown has struck a deal with the devil, and he is pretty confident that he can leave the covenant made and is assured that he has enough faith to see him through. Brown, however, fails to realize the magnitude of the step he has taken. The immaturity depicted in the beginning is converted into an adult who is determined to overcome evil at all costs. The task, however, becomes increasingly difficult and presents him with one difficulty after the other. Brown holds a consistent resistance to the devil's resentments owing to his faith (Levy 376).

No sooner had he left the faith and embarked on the journey with the devil began testing his faith. He first accused Faith of making him late for the meeting, but he also received other significant revelations which smote his heart. Brown discovers that the deacon and other village men have preceded him in this journey. The governor himself has also journeyed with the devil. However, the most significant discovery was with Goody Cloyse, the woman who had guided him through catechism was apparently a witch. Brown wondered how such a righteous woman, who he always believed would go to heaven would choose the devils faith. And for the first time, Brown's faith was shattered. He pondered leaving his faith and following that which Goody believed. However, he comforts himself in the belief that once he returns home, he will visit the Good old Deacon Gookin who will help him clear his mind. His peace is cut short once it is revealed to him that the Deacon and the minister are all part of the devil's company. He is still adamant to win against the devil (377).

Brown resulted to calling on Faith three times, and he saw the pink ribbon that Faith wore fluttered down from the sky. He cried out loud knowing that his hope and faith had vanished. Additionally, he was now aware that Faith's voice had now been mingled with the sounds in Salem; Satan's followers. Brown then becomes possessed by the devil which makes him conclude that sin has power over the world. He still relies on faith to conquer the devil and rise again. Brown joins an assembly of soon to be believers who are ready for their initiation ceremony. He spots Faith who was in line with him. Both were hesitant to join the wickedness, and they exchange doubtful glances. Brown pleads with Faith to look up to heaven for help, and the whole assembly disappears, and he is yet again left in the wilderness (381). Finally, Brown is subjected to a life of despair as he is the only one fighting to reverse himself from committing his life to evil. He late falls into gloom and a life led by suspicion and withdrawal. Brown also exhibited a compulsive denial of the devil but at the same time lost his relationship with faith. No efforts of the mind can save him, and he thus subjects himself to a life of faithlessness. His belief that faith could see him through the trials was his downfall.

Evaluation of Levy's Article

Levy believes that faith was the ultimate factor that led to the demise of Brown. The article gives a chronology of events that lead to the life of solitude. Brown understands the role of faith in moral corruption. However, there is a vast difference between reality and the application of faith. What puritanism stressed was the spiritual placing of hope on a spiritual body instead of relying on human beings. The teaching goes further to insist that faith is a gift given to believers that never fails. With this belief, Brown approached the situation. He believed with faith; he would conquer everything. When things got challenging, he called on faith three times, but she did not come to her rescue. Additionally, at the initiation ceremony, Brown pleads with Faith to look up to the heavens for help, but the support does not appear (Levy 381).

The main strength of Leo's arguments is that he correctly exposes the hypocrisy in Puratism and the effect it had on Brown. Hawthorne bases the story in Salem, a town in New England. The Puritans have tried to make a religious society based on strong ethics and standards. The Puritans believed that people who had faith and followed the region were destined to go to heaven. They encompassed ethics and devotion. Individuals who embraced Puratism were the chosen ones of God. Hence, Puritans were centered on people of honor and ultimate goodness that was incorruptible. These are all values that Young Goodman Brown had and treasured as indicated at the start of the story. He, however, starts breaking these rules by lying to his wife that he was embarking on a small work excursion at the witch's gathering.

All through Brown's journey, he has confidence that no matter what will transpire, he can always lean on faith. Additionally, he considers himself a man of integrity and so is everyone else around him, who has claimed the faith. He believes that he will conquer all the temptations of the devil and return home to his dear wife. Shockingly, his encounter in the woods challenges all the principles held by his religion. Faith, who was also his only source of help as he believed she was the purest of hearts was a devil's companion. Dismayed by the revelations, he discovers that everyone is a sinner just because the world is evil. The statement contradicts Puritanism whose beliefs lie in the goodness of God and his love for his chosen people. God would not let his chosen people enter an earth that is already condemned as His people are Holy. However, the irony is that the people who were propagating the message of hope and faith were all in communion with the devil. This was a bitter comprehension for Brown who realized that the religion was all vanity.

The main weakness of the analysis is the failure to blame Brown destruction on his quenching thirst for curiosity and his stubbornness. His wife begged him not to take his journey into the evil land and yet he heeded not. By being a believer, he should have known that faith believes in things unseen. This makes him a weak Puritan who did not fully buy into the ideological. He instead has a perfect picture of what the unknown looks like and when he embarks on his quest to find his answers

Evaluation of Norman's Article

Young Brown's decision to travel into the forest is a representation of man's irrational journey to leave faith behind and indulge in a world of temptations. Brown's curiosity to find what lies in the depth of the forest gives him a naive outlook on life and what matters. He yearns to find answers to life's greatest mysteries which leads him to uncover some of the secrets that kill both his emotions and faith. Brown's confidence in himself and his beliefs guide his miss...