Nathanial Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown As An Anti-Parable essays

Nathanial Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown As An Anti-Parable essays The parable or morality tale is a literary genre that has transcended both culture and time. From Jesus biblical parables to fables and fairy tales told to children to Russian author Leo Tolstoys, How Much Land Does a Man Need, the genre provides a stereotypical characters, symbolic items and events, and a plot centered around the communication of a moral. Like these examples, Nathanial Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown has many of the characteristics of a parable. Even the name Young Goodman Brown suggests that the storys main character is intended to symbolize the plight and struggles of every young man. Similarly, Faith is obviously a symbol of the young womans similar plight in addition to a commentary on the characteristic espoused by her name, and the Devil, along with those Young Goodman brown meets on the way to his deep woods assembly are symbolic representations of those who are stereotypically most pious. The parable-like descriptions of these characters and plot were no t conceived by chance. In fact, Deins article regarding Hawthornes story, The Ministers Veil, suggests that the author was familiar with the terms of parables and even penned some whose universal applicability can be considered relevant today (179). Unlike, The Ministers Veil, however, all that seems to be missing in Young Goodman Brown is the moral ending. While many interpretations of the ending exist, none seem to satisfy the structure of a parable whose meaning suggests that avoiding the devil and sin is advantageous. By creating the parable-like condition of story coupled with the anit-parable ending, Hawthorne suggests that parables and morality stories are not relevant to the complex morality of human existence. Hawthornes stereotypical characters and metaphorical plot work together to create the parable-like feel...