Morality in Young Goodman Brown by Hawthorne and The Tell...

Morality in Young Goodman Brown by Hawthorne and The Tell Tale Heart by Poe Young Goodman Brown, by Hawthorne, and The Tell Tale Heart, by Poe, offer readers the chance to embark on figurative and literal journeys, through our minds and our hearts. Hawthorne is interested in developing a sense of guilt in his story, an allegory warning against losing ones faith. The point of view and the shift in point of view are symbolic of the darkening, increasingly isolated heart of the main character, Goodman Brown, an everyman figure in an everyman tale. Poe, however, is concerned with capturing a sense of dread in his work, taking a look at the motivations behind the perverseness of human nature. Identifying and understanding the†¦show more content†¦Further, dialogue presents the thoughts and feelings of the characters, and we can trust its veracity since the words come directly from the speaker. By examining Faith?s dialogue with her husband, we get a sense of the deeper dread and loneliness she feels, since her husband is traveling towards wickedness . Additionally, the imagery foreshadows the isolation of the young protagonist; starting at sundown, he journeys into darkness, but also towards that which is evil. Turning back to kiss his wife, Goodman Brown prioritizes his journey at the expense of his faith, and foreshadows his dismissal of his faith, since her name is specifically chosen for the purpose of this allegory. There are certain symbols that aid in the development of the moral of the story. First, his wife is symbolic of the old order ? his good and moral heart. Goodman Brown says, ?Faith kept me back awhile,? meaning that he did not give up his religion easily; it took hesitation and doubt until he could bring himself to justify his means: ?making more haste on his present evil purpose? (Hawthorne 135). Here, he deceives himself, thinking that he can be like the unrealistic heathens of the world, and then simply revert back to his Faith, and symbolically, to Heaven. Another important symbol is the wilderness, ?where no church has ever been gathered, nor solitary Christian prayed? (HawthorneShow MoreRelatedThe Tale Heart, The Raven, And Young Goodman Brown1765 Words   |  8 Pagesperfections. Some of America’s greatest works of literature were born in this period, like those of Poe, and Hawthorne. A very common literary theme during the romantic period was that of good v ersus evil, in both individual characters and society as a whole; this theme is especially evident in works such as The Tell Tale Heart, The Raven, and Young Goodman Brown. Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell Tale Heart is a perfect example of good versus evil in a romantic work. The story deals with and is told by aRead MoreAnalysis Of `` The Scarlet Letter `` By Edgar Allen Poe892 Words   |  4 Pagescentury was Edgar Allen Poe. However, another writer around the same time also made an impact. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 to an old New England family who can be traced to old Salem. He is best known for his short stories like â€Å"The Birthmark† and â€Å"The Minister s Black Veil†; and the classic novel â€Å"The Scarlet Letter†. He died in 1864 on a tour of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Most of his stories takes place during puritan Massachusetts. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is such a story. It