Introduction
People are different with a view to their intellect and abilities, features and appearance, beliefs and views. Some people have good intentions and make good actions; other people do not seem to be good at all. Nevertheless, good and bad actions and even thoughts can be argued; it is better to say acceptable because what seems to be good for one person can cause harm to another. That is why scientists, philosophers, and theologists have disputed about the essence of good and bad, especially in men. It means that people wonder why some representatives of the human race are good and devout, whereas others can be considered an embodiment of evil.
Ralph Waldo Emerson has expressed his idea of good and bad in a man in his Divinity School Address where he introduced a man as an initially good essence which progresses during life and accumulates evil. The only way to return to the origins and to become good again is to appeal to the Nature. Emerson suggests that a person should be good in spite of religious doctrines and Christian tales about miraculous resurrections and healing.
People are free to believe whatever they want, but they have to believe in their strength and goodness first. Another great thinker, who has introduced his personal idea of human goodness, is Nathaniel Hawthorne. He wrote a great number of essays illustrating his beliefs and suppositions about the nature of good and evil and the evil origins of all people. One of such stories is Young Goodman Brown; it tells about the faith lost by the main character which is evidence that all people have evil in their hearts. To my mind, people can choose the way to act and to think, it is impossible that all of us should be good or bad only; doubts are natural even for those who are claimed to be our advisors and spiritual leaders. Ideas of Emerson and Hawthorne can be argued both for and against.
Are We Born in Sin?
Ralph Waldo Emerson suggested the idea of the pure origins of all men, “He learns that his being is without bound; that, to the good, to the perfect, he is born, low as he now lies in evil and weakness” (Emerson 247). A person is born good and acquires evil only as life progresses. It is natural for some species to accumulate certain bad and even dangerous substances, for example mushrooms can absorb dust as well as radiation. So, people absorb evil, like a sponge absorbs water. However, people can remain good as their life progresses if they choose the way of good thoughts and actions. Good intentions make us what we really are; you cannot hide your true views or emotions behind morality or religion.
Nathaniel Hawthorne does not think that people are good from their childhood; he believes that only devotion to the religious doctrines can make people good in some way, though there always is some place for evil in the human hearts. Hawthorne suggests the idea that all people are born in sin and they are doomed to live in sin.
According to the writer’s opinion presented in Young Goodman Brown devout people are also full of evil, it turns out when the main character of the story accompanied by the mysterious guide (also known as devil, or personification of evil) sees people in the wood; these people came to participate in the unholy ritual:
“As he spoke he pointed his staff at a female figure on the path, in whom Goodman Brown recognized a very pious and exemplary dame, who had taught him his catechism in youth, and was still his moral and spiritual adviser, jointly with the minister and Deacon Gookin” (Hawthorne 14-15).
People are evil, they are born in sin, and they live in sin, and die in sin, these words can be interpreted from the story introduced by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Someone may think that I exaggerate a bit, but I can tell you that this is what I can see in the story. The Young Goodman Brown shows people the inevitable way that all people follow, and the impossibility of turning back often appears to be fatal.
Taking into consideration the ideas of two authors, I would rather choose the position of Emerson as it is not as pessimistic and dismal as the opinion of Hawthorne. People should have a chance to become good in spite of their ‘destiny’ or ‘prophecies’; every person has a right to be good even without belonging to a specific religious belief. Thereby, free will is the next aspect of the good in people that should be analyzed and discussed. Can people choose their way or everything is decided for them by somebody else? How can people act in a good way when they are persuaded to have the evil in their hearts on every step?
Free Will: Intuition or Adherence?
The choice is yours: live in sin and die with tortures that would tear your heart into small pieces and leave no memory for people who loved you; alternatively, you can choose the way of divinity and intuition. As Emerson suggested, the intuition is the only motive that forces people’s hearts and souls; he presented this idea in his speech:
“The intuition of the moral sentiment is an insight of the perfection of the laws of the soul. Thee laws execute themselves. They are out of time, out of space, and not subject to circumstance. Thus; in the soul of man there is a justice whose retributions are instant and entire. He who does a good deed, is instantly ennobled” (Emerson 248).
These words are difficult to refute, but I was not going to refute this idea, it seems to me that the only truth that can exist on earth is the sense. If you feel something wrong, you should not say or do it; if you feel there is place for a sincere conversation, you should talk to a person you trust.
Truth is another great idea introduced by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “speak the truth, and all nature and all sprits help you with unexpected furtherance” (Emerson 248). It is natural that this issue was touched upon by the author as it is closely related to the concept of good. For some people truth and good are standing on the same level of moral values.
The position of Nathaniel Hawthorne is not so bright as for the concept of free will. He makes the readers believe that people can believe whatever they want, but the only truth they will see is the evil. It is unacceptable to think in such pessimistic way. People of all religions and confessions are free to choose what to think and how to act.
The author of the story Young Goodman Brown leaves no space for return; it seems that he cuts off all possibilities to return to the good, burns all ships in order not to balance between the evil and the good and to choose only the evil. There always is another way out, if you have made one mistake, you should not make another one only because it should be so or if someone believes that people cannot change.
Free will and intuition should be the person’s companions on the way through life. People should know what is right and wrong, what is good and evil without religious doctrines and rules; experience of the previous generations should be taken into account, but you should not be bigoted. Faith and adherence, intuition and good motives are mixed in the concept of good and evil.
Abandoned Faith or Return to Nature?
The idea of non-return can be traced in the story Young Goodman Brown written by Nathaniel Hawthorne where the main character abandons his wife Faith and goes to the woods to participate in the unholy ritual. It is necessary to mention that all the names and events are allegorical; Goodman Brown abandons not only his wife but also his faith. To sum up, the idea of the abandoned faith and the impossibility of returning to the good origins is the main concept of Hawthorne’s stories. The author does not believe that a human heart can be free from evil thoughts.
An alternative idea is presented by the author of the great speech Divinity School Address, Ralph Waldo Emerson. He suggests the idea that people can live in harmony and return to the good origins when they appeal to nature. As the proverb says, to err is human, and Emerson’s theory does not refute the chance of making mistakes, but people have an opportunity to return to the way of goodness and divinity. “The man who renounces himself, comes to himself” (Emerson 248).
In this respect I agree with the words of Emerson as he does not demand people to be perfect, he is sure that they are perfect without any rules and religions. Even those people who do not believe in miracles can perform miracles for other people without knowing it. So, we all can return to the good if we want to and if we try; attempts can do harm, but persistence and a burning desire to act in a good way can bring you back to the good origins.
Conclusion
Human life is a precious gift that should be valued and protected. No one can protect people from mistakes that they should make in order to acquire knowledge and experience. Mothers cannot persuade their sons and daughters not to participate in dangerous or risky activities. Emerson suggests the idea of harmony and divinity, which impresses me more than Hawthorne’s theory, which is the beginning of every person and which can be the alternative way. Nathaniel Hawthorne introduced the idea of the evil particle in the heart of every person which cannot be fought or resisted.
Works Cited
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, and Charles Johnson, and William H. Gilman. Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. New York: Signet Classic, 2003.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Young Goodman Brown. Rockville, MD: Wildside Press LLC, 2005.