Essay - The Amazing Story of Young Goodman Brown Nathaniel Hawthorne Used...

The Amazing Story of Young Goodman Brown

***** Hawthorne used the character of Young ***** Brown to tell the story of his own, personal dark night of the soul. Through ***** eyes of ***** Goodman Brown, an innocent young man of principles who was married to ***** "Faith," Hawthorne reveals how his own innocence and faith were lost and his life forever changed when Hawthorne learned that ***** Puritan forefathers participated in unsavory religious persecution as well ***** the no*****rious Salem witch trial. He ***** the *****, young Goodman to represent himself as witness ***** ***** discovery of unfathomable corruption in various Puritans who, in their sanctimoniousness, were blind to their own ***** (165-179).

Say thy prayers... and go ***** bed at dusk, ***** no harm will come to thee, (165)" ***** Goodman says in a st*****tement that is indicative of his simple innocence before learning the disturbing truth. ***** ***** this before journeying into the dark past of his family **********, which is represented symbolically by dark woods in which anyth*****g might be lurking. As he ********** h***** journey, he is met at ***** entrance of the woods by a dark man *****, while clearly someone akin to ***** devil *****, is also "bearing a considerable resemblance" to Goodman *****, "they might have been taken for f*****her and son (167)." Suspicious of what might be discovered in the dark *****, and with growing fear, Young Goodman walks haltingly and then stops, not wishing to go any further on ***** unsettling *****. "But I ***** scruples... (167)," Young Goodman protests, still innocent, still having "*****."

***** dark man compels him to walk on, however, and as ***** Good***** *****gins his journey, he learns more about the gentleman who bears a strong resemblance to him. "***** helped your grandfather, the constable, when he las*****d the Quaker woman so smartly through ***** streets of Salem (168)," the man says, thus spe*****g of the first ***** the dark secrets to be discovered. In reality, Hawthorne, who changed the spelling of ***** surname, ***** a direct descendant of Judges William Hathorne, and John Hathorne. Judge ***** ***** was a Puritan settler who sentenced a Quaker wo***** to ***** whipped in the streets ***** Boston. Judge John Hathorne, ***** a *****, presided with a heavy hand over the infamous Salem Witch Trials.

***** the terrible truth unfolds before Young *****man, he sees ***** his devil-like companion is h***** ***** *****, t***** elder Goodman Brown, an allusion ********** Judge ***** Hathorne. ***** uses the names of some ***** the *****men ***** ***** actually tried by his grandfather during the infamous trial, although the *****s are slightly changed. Goodwife Cloyce is represented as Goody Cloyse; Martha Corey ***** represented as Goody Cory. (Linder.) "Some affirm that the lady of ***** *****vernor ***** there (175)," Hawthorne writes, alluding again to the his*****rical facts. The g*****nor who had appointed John Hathorne as judge, did not step in and stop the ugly ***** trial until his own wife was also