Study Notes on Nathaniel Hawthorne and Young Goodman Brown

Biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne

  • Birth and Death: Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)

  • Origin: Born in Salem, Massachusetts.

  • Ancestral Guilt: An ancestor involved in the Salem witch trials in the 1690s, leading to Hawthorne feeling an ancestral guilt.

  • Literary Reflection: In the introductory essay of The Scarlet Letter, he expresses taking this shame upon himself, seeking to dispel the family curse.

Early Life

  • Family Background: Son of a shipmaster who died when Hawthorne was four years old.

  • Childhood Influences: Raised in a disciplined household where his mother often dined in her room, leading him to acquire "cursed habits" of solitude.

  • Education: Attended Bowdoin College in Maine.

Writing Career

  • Isolation Period: After college, returned home to write and destroy many of his own stories, learning his craft in isolation, which he termed the "twelve dark years."

  • First Published Works: First stories began to appear in magazines. In 1837, published Twice-Told Tales, a collection of his published pieces.

  • Old Manse: Moved in 1842 to the Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, where he wrote in the same room Emerson had worked six years earlier.

  • Notable Stories: "Young Goodman Brown" included in the 1846 collection Mosses from an Old Manse.

  • Role in Literature: With Edgar Allan Poe, became a leader in the development of the short story genre.

Personal Life

  • Connections to Transcendentalism: Acquainted with leading Transcendentalists, often meeting Emerson and others to discuss philosophy.

  • Brook Farm Experience: Spent several months at Brook Farm, a communal living experiment founded by Transcendentalists.

  • Marriage: Married Sophia Peabody, a strong advocate of Transcendentalism, although Hawthorne never fully adopted the philosophy.

  • View of Evil: His strong sense of the active presence of evil was more aligned with America's Puritan traditions.

Notable Works

  • The Scarlet Letter (1850): Written a year before Melville's Moby Dick.

  • Other Major Works:

    • The House of the Seven Gables: Addresses themes of ancestral curses.

    • The Blithedale Romance: Based on his experiences at Brook Farm.

    • The Marble Faun: Focuses on 'innocent' Americans in a 'decadent and treacherous' Italy.

Critical Reception and Legacy

  • Conflict with Puritan Heritage: Despite criticizing his Puritan background, he remained influenced by it throughout his work.

  • Herman Melville's Reflection: Melville described Hawthorne's duality, noting that despite the "Indian-summer sunlight" in his soul, there is a "blackness, ten times black" on the other side.

Analysis of Young Goodman Brown

  • Setting: Begins at sunset in Salem Village; Goodman's internal conflict revealed through interactions with Faith (his wife).

    • **Key Characters:

    • Goodman Brown:** Protagonist, struggles between faith and temptation.

    • Faith: Goodman's wife, representing innocence and purity with her "pink ribbons".

  • Plot Overview: Goodman Brown embarks on a journey into the forest, leaving Faith despite her foreboding words, indicating a journey towards moral corruption.

  • Foreshadowing: Faith expresses concerns about leaving, hinting at the ominous events that will unfold during Goodman's journey.

  • Imagery of Isolation: He experiences loneliness and encounters the idea of unseen evils in the wilderness. The setting mirrors his internal conflict.

  • Meeting the Devil: Brown encounters a mysterious traveler who resembles him and represents temptation.

  • Significant Themes:

    • Exploration of evil and its presence in humanity, represented through the disturbing revelations during the forest gathering.

    • Disillusionment with perceived righteousness as Goodman Brown realizes that respected villagers partake in wicked deeds.

    • The struggle between maintaining faith and succumbing to doubt and temptation, particularly evident in Goodman’s interactions with Faith and other townsfolk.

  • Conclusion of the Story: Upon returning to Salem, Goodman Brown's life is marked by despair and distrust. His disillusionment is profound, evident in his reaction to family and community, marking a permanent change.

    • Final Reflection: Goodman Brown dies a mistrustful and sad man, symbolizing the destructive impact of losing faith and credibility in moral institutions.

Discussion and Understanding Prompts

  1. Main Settings: Salem Village (beginning), forest at dusk.

  2. Character Analysis: The initial paragraphs reveal Goodman Brown's internal struggle and the strength and innocence embodied by Faith, establishing a contrast that highlights the story's central conflict.