Blinded By Pride

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Young Goodman Brown

Young Goodman Brown was blinded by pride that blurred his vision of seeing the truth. In Young Goodman Brown the author reveals the true nature of man at a devil workshop by emphasizing on pride. This illustrates the evilness of human beings because pride has become the single most damaging attribute. Excessive pride of Goodman is the single most prominent factor that destroys his vision and leads to irreparable damage. The fall encountered by the man can be seen in different forms such as evilness, decision of going against the social norms, rejection of the religious values and isolation. The sole reason for the characters to become isolated is their pride.

The story focuses on the life of Young Goodman Brown who grows up with the pious outlook of life depicting the profound impact of pride. The young man encounters struggle between choosing the pride and social norms. His thinking exhibits the preconditioned beliefs of the society as he fails to deal with the Puritan life. Pride plays dominant role in defining him that later results in his incapability to know his place in the society. He struggles to explore his reality and identity. The hardships due to social constructs makes him prisoner of the pride and fate. His entrapment in taunting thoughts results in his confusion motivating him to question his reality.

The theme of pride is visible in Hawthorne’s fiction, encountered by Young Goodman when his mind is exposed to unholy acts. The bitterness of the society becomes prominent in the story, “with a resigned contentment at his place in the world or with an irreconcilable bitterness at his powerlessness” (Hawthorne 548). The struggles of the young man appear between his pride and the world. In the forest he experiences the darker realities of the constrained society that results in development of pride. After learning potential evils prevailing in the society he questions his upbringing and role of the prie. Through construction of the Goodman’s character the author tries to display the contradicting realities of the world. The journey of enchanted forest outside the town allows the young man to explore evilness in the form of pride. His pride results in his self-destruction as he surrenders his faith. The Calvinist sense of sin conveys the moral idea of imagination emphasizing on the factors weakening faith CITATION Jam96 \l 1033 (Keil).

A Salmen village and woods are chosen in Young Goodman Brown for conveying the sinful nature of man by focusing on pride. The woods have a connection with the Puritan beliefs because they associate woods with evilness seen in the form of pride. The Puritans related indigenous people with worshipers who lived in the woods. So, according to their beliefs, such places must be avoided. Hawthorne has used woods for showing life outside Puritan beliefs. Hawthorne mentions in Young Goodman Brown, "my journey as thou called it, forth and back again must need to be done twixt now and sunrise" (Hawthorne 669). This reflects the role of pride because the journey is the rejection of societal norms. He is aiming at exploring life outside Puritan beliefs.

The story ripens with age that intrigues the modern thinker to learn the damaging impacts of pride. The story reveals the aspects of morality, philosophy and psychology. The author allows assessment of the character through historical context beyond religious symbolism by uncovering humanly traits. Hawthorne conveys the message of human conditions that leads to contradicting choices. The young man’s drive towards pride displays the weaker role of social constructs. Symbolic inference in the settings uncovers the issues of community that the author represents in Salem’s madness. The Salem forest portrays the state of religious oppression allowing individuals to escape their values. This happens with Goodman because his attraction towards the life outside woods reflect his religious weakness. The Puritan’s belief in witches is apparent in the concept of witchcraft visible in the story. The forest represents evil, “the forest, as a place of wild, untamed passions and terrors, has the attributes of the Freudian id” (Hawthorne 139). The author through the story also criticizes the Calvinist doctrine that sets limitations on the roles of individuals CITATION Nai10 \l 1033 (Ezghoul and Zuraikat).

The struggles between faith and man’s fate depicts the desires to attain pride. The decision of young man to take journey to the Salem forest is the result of his conflicting thoughts. He is unable to accept the moral philosophy and the values taught by society due to his pride. His rejection of the social norms motivates him to leave the town and meet contradicting realities of the world. The conflict is visible, “[Brown] is a naive and immature young man who fails to understand the gravity of the step he has taken succeeded by a presumably adult determination to resist his own evil impulses” (Hawthorne 117). His failure to recognize the adversities of his actions reveals the negative role of social constructs CITATION Jam96 \l 1033 (Keil).

Pride remains one of the visible element in the development of plot. The author represents the conflicting situations encountered by youth apparent in the notions of devil, old woman and faith. Brown’s consciousness becomes prominent when he views the magic serpent. The pride is visible in, “come, Goodman Brown’ cried his fellow-traveler, [the devil] ‘this is a dull pace for the beginning of the journey. Take my staff, if you are so soon weary” (Hawthorne 120). The fear becomes more prominent in his hesitation to accept devil’s choice. The witness of the old woman increases the intensity of fear in the young man. Hawthorne through creation of the story tests the faith of youth. The faith in the forest deepens in disillusionment apparent in the delirious state of Goodman. The weakened state of faith is visible in the comment, “there is no good in earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil; for to thee is this world given” (Hawthorne 137). The moment exhibits the impatience as Goodman is unable to see any hope. He doubts goodness and the piety of the world. The author confers the idea that elimination of faith results in vague thoughts, convincing young people to reject their reliance on religious values CITATION Nai10 \l 1033 (Ezghoul and Zuraikat).

Hawthorne in the story uses satire to criticize pride of Goodman system of belief. Distrust and doubts are prominent elements in defining the journey of the young man. Pride is more prominent in the fictional character of Brown who fails to act according to the social norms. His inability to accept society’s morality results in his pride and power. His determination to attain pride and power results in his self-destruction. The struggles between social values and search of self-identity displays the negative role of social constructs. Through portrayal of conflict the fiction conveys the deeper realities of society.

Young Goodman Brown is created for explaining how his pride tempts him to the sins. The forest symbolizes evil and pride. It illustrates that Goodman's inability to staying away from woods is the result of his human nature. Pride is apparent in the text, “it was now deep dusk in the forest, and deepest in that part of where two were journeying” (Hawthorne 669). The decision of Goodman is the result of his pride because he rejects the social belief and predictions about the forest. He consider himself to be special from others which encourage him to commit sin. Rejection of God’s faith is identified as his biggest weakness. Throughout the story he is motivated by his pride and challenges the traditional and social settings. Pride also promote his evilness of judging the things through hos blocked vision. To prove his superiority and wisdom over the people he becomes suspicious towards things. This also give them the courage to question the old beliefs.

Excessive pride of Goodman leads to his self-destruction and fall. His demise starts the moment he leaves the faith of his wife and the God. This reflects the deeper role of pride which makes it difficult for him to accept the reality. His decision of walking into the woods is the result of pride and evil nature. Pride is the single factor that encourage him to choose the darker side over faith. His mistaken belief that he has escaped evil is also due to his blurred judgment. The devil makes him see evil and darkness all across the village.

The destructing impacts of pride becomes apparent when Goodman fails to see good in anything. He loses contact and connection with every person. He perceived all actions as pretense, worse and performed with selfish incentives. People according to his use religion for masking evil. Pride becomes the reason of his destruction because he gets isolated and is seen as a victim of his wrong decision. Even on his death he spoke no hopeful verse which again reflects his destruction.

Work cited

Ezghoul, Naim and Malek Zuraikat. "with a resigned contentment at his place in the world or with an irreconcilable bitterness at his powerlessness”." International Journal of English and Literature 1.1 (2010): 1-6.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Young Goodman Brown. Mosses from an Old Manse, 1835.

Keil, James C. "Hawthorne's 'Young Goodman Brown': Early Nineteenth-Century and Puritan Constructions of Gender." The New England Quarterly 69.1 (1996): 33-55.