The Voices of Narrator, Author, and Characters in Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown

Introduction

The discussion in this essay will revolve around the short story, Young Goodman Brownwritten by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Four voices—those of the narrator, author, characters, and readers—dominate the narrative, as is evident from once. These voices besides helping control the events of the story are critical in communicating the author’s overriding theme of battling darkness within oneself.

Summary of the Story

The short story, Young Goodman Brown, is one of Hawthorne’s famous stories, despite being published many years ago. In the story, Hawthorne gives a vivid description of how a young man, Goodman Brown, embarks on a journey into the forest to meet a mysterious stranger. In the course of this journey, Brown is tempted several times by the Devil to follow him. As Hawthorne rightly observed, the entire journey was a “present evil purpose” (46). At one point, the young man comes across a group of individuals championing the Devil’s cause. In fact, he is shocked upon realizing that his wife’s faith is inclined to the Devil’s cause. After this experience with the Devil, Brown returns to his village a disappointed man. He is saddened by the events that transpired earlier – he is not even happy after seeing the townspeople, especially his wife.

Voice of the Narrator

Hawthorne’s short story, Young Goodman Brown, is told from the point of view of a limited omniscient narrator. This approach is critical since it enables the narrator to provide an overview of the protagonist’s activities, as well as ensuring the reader is aware of the main theme. The fact that the narrator managed to discuss the “instinct that guides mortal man to evil” lays the foundation for conflict and the climax of the story (Hawthorne 49). The conflict becomes intense as the narrator delves deeper into Brown’s behavior.

Voice of the Author

Throughout the short story, the voices of the narrator and the author appear not to have a significant distinction. For instance, the two, the narrator and the author, were brought up in a religious environment. However, the distinction here is that, unlike the narrator, the author was not comfortable adhering to the puritanical culture – he wanted to escape. On his part, Brown, “burdened by the heavy sickness of his heart,” abandons his faith (48). Despite this, he has some level of commitment to the Puritan faith, which has influenced his attitude towards life in general.

Voices of the Characters

Goodman Brown is one of the main characters who bring out the theme of battling darkness within oneself. From the onset, Brown appears to have a conflicted mindset – he is described as a darkly meditative, distrustful, if not a desperate man” (Hawthorne 51). It is this mindset that dictates the direction and the theme of the story, making it difficult for Brown to avoid the Devil’s schemes. Overall, Brown advises his wife to rely on God as a way of overcoming temptations, which is something that is shared only by the character.

Voice of the Reader

As a reader, what I expected from the short story was to see Brown resist and reject darkness, specifically towards the end of the story. However, the story did not conclude as per my expectation – Hawthorne provided a more eerie ending. My response as I read the story was rather curious due to the nature of how the events in the story were unfolding. However, there are no experiences in my life that came up while reading the story.

Conclusion

The voices of the narrator, author, characters, and readers are critical when it comes to explicating to the audience the overriding theme of the story – battling darkness within oneself. The voice of the protagonist brings out the agony and internal conflict the character is experiencing. The events in the story were brought out clearly to allow the readers to form their own views about the story.

Work Cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Young Goodman Brown.”Encounters: Readings for Advanced Composition, edited by Mark R. Hall, and William R. Epperson, 2nd ed., Kendall/Hunt, 2019, pp. 45-55. RedShelf. Web.

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StudyCorgi. (2024) 'The Voices of Narrator, Author, and Characters in Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown'. 30 November.

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StudyCorgi. "The Voices of Narrator, Author, and Characters in Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown." November 30, 2024. https://studycorgi.com/the-voices-of-narrator-author-and-characters-in-hawthornes-young-goodman-brown/.

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StudyCorgi. 2024. "The Voices of Narrator, Author, and Characters in Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown." November 30, 2024. https://studycorgi.com/the-voices-of-narrator-author-and-characters-in-hawthornes-young-goodman-brown/.

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