“ “My faith is gone!” "" (Hawthorne 394) cries young Goodman Brown after seeing his wife's pink ribbon fall from the sky and realizing that humanity is depraved. Although Faith is Brown's wife's name, it is also a metaphor for his inner faith in God. In “Young Goodman Brown,” Puritan attitudes toward faith and evil are carefully examined by Hawthorne and described at various levels of depth in the story. Many critics, however, have difficulty deciding on the overall theme of this story, and reactions are mixed as to Hawthorne's motivations for writing this play. By examining Puritan theology and the historical context of the short story, "Young Goodman Brown" develops into several moral lessons based on the importance of faith which, in turn, supports Calvinist beliefs. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The story of Goodman Brown includes numerous references to biblical stories and Puritan beliefs. Although Brown believes he is an honest person from a respectable family lineage, he allows his curiosity to betray his faith. Brown arrives late to his meeting with the evil character and explains that "'Faith held me a while'" (Hawthorne 388). Brown hesitates because he realizes that his journey with this evil being is a sin. This story parallels the biblical story of Adam and Eve and the fall of man. Even though both men knew that it was against God's commands to eat the fruit of the tree of wisdom, Satan tempted them and caused them to commit sinful acts. This single act decides the fate of humanity as sinful beings, but it is not the only outcome in the eyes of the Puritans: “the Puritan version [of the fall of man] goes even further. It was not only human nature but all of nature that suffered the resulting disaster. . . What surrounds us, what we look at and communicate with, is not nature as it comes from the hand of God. It is nature red in tooth and claw, perverted from its original, the domain of the Prince of Evil and its subject, the natural man” (Jones 277). Hawthorne incorporates both of these Puritan beliefs into his story: he creates a paranoid monster out of the once-innocent Goodman Brown, and the natural setting regresses into an unknown and dangerous forest of evil. Brown describes the fearful nature of the wilderness after proclaiming that his faith had vanished: “The whole forest was filled with fearful sounds—the cracking of trees, the howling of wild beasts, and the cry of the Indians” (Hawthorne 395). Although Goodman Brown was confident entering the forest with the evil being, his temptations cause him to lose faith and become unsure of humanity and nature. Although this need for exploration could be seen as a criticism of the authoritarian nature of the Puritans, Hawthorne includes a moral lesson similar to that of the biblical account, in which curiosity is punished and faith is the escape from evil. Additionally, Hawthorne's use of language to describe Goodman Brown's journey into the forest reflects Puritan speeches. Although his journey into the forest is an act of curiosity and exploration, Brown describes it as a “race” in many ways. For example, when Brown talks about leaving Faith, he says, "What a wretch am I to let her go on such an errand!" » (Hawthorne 388). By using puns, Brown attempts to create a martyr of himself, in an attempt to overcome the evil presented by the devil. He acts as if he must abandon his religious faith and experience evilbefore we can become completely faithful to God. The word "race" has a historical context in the Puritan context: "Suffice it to say that young Goodman Brown's 'race' in the wilderness recalls the 'wilderness race' of the Puritans, a metaphor first stated in Samuel Danforth's Election Sermon from Matt. 11, 1670. . . [Hawthorne] also incorporates the root of the Puritans' identity and enterprise: their striking resemblance to the children of Israel in the wilderness” (Christophersen 203). It also reflects a certain mockery of the contradictory nature of Puritan ideals, as Hawthorne exploits the hypocrisy of his main character; on the other hand, Hawthorne supports the necessity of faith when entering unknown territory. Much like the concerns of the Puritans who intended to settle several new areas, Hawthorne discusses the importance of maintaining religious stability in order to defeat evil. Unfortunately, in Goodman Brown's case, he abandons his faith before entering the wilderness, leaving him vulnerable to the devil and his evil followers. Therefore, after experiencing the evils of nature and the unknown, Brown returns to civilization as a lost man unable to maintain a firm religious stance. Hawthorne also discusses this lost nature of man in relation to Calvinist belief. As Goodman Brown enters the unknown forest, he believes that his mental abilities to defeat evil will protect him. When he abandons his faith, he attempts to defeat the Devil through his own mental stability and strength. His belief in himself represents a very different Puritan belief: “For all the emphasis on man's unworthiness, his corrupt nature, man still carries the image of God in some measure engraved upon him. He is therefore, says Calvin, even if he lacks intrinsic merit, a creature of no inconsiderable dignity and excellence” (Jones 277). Brown's dignity is clearly illustrated by Hawthorne through his attempt to defeat evil without the aid of his faith. Unfortunately, as the reader observes, Brown's willpower and respectability are not enough to overcome the Devil's temptations; instead, Brown victimizes himself by abandoning his faith and entering uncharted territory. After his experiences in the forest, Hawthorne describes Brown as: “A severe, sad, gloomy and meditative man, suspicious, even desperate. . » (Hawthorne 399). Goodman Brown loses himself because of his self-confidence, his dignity, and his abandonment of faith. The nature of man continues to be questioned when Goodman Brown experiences utter depravity in the forest. He witnesses powerful and religious figures in his society participating in various forms of devil worship and witchcraft. Brown's shock and horror at seeing those he respects as active members of this evil leads him to question his own purity: "Goodman Brown came out of the shade of the trees and approached the congregation , with whom he felt a loathsome brotherhood through the sympathy of all that was wicked in his heart” (Hawthorne 397). Although he believed he had the mental capacity to defeat the devil, Brown joined the crowd due to the inherently evil nature of humans. Corresponding to the Fall of Man parallel to the beginning of the story, Brown completes the final stages of his temptation toward evil by destroying his faith: "What [Brown] perceives is in fact the nature of man: he is not wrong. But because he looks upon it without the agency of faith, his purely human eyes cannot see any reality beyond it” (Jones 279-280). This is similar to the Puritan idea of ​​predestination. Although humanity may appear to be faithful beings or upstanding citizens, its, 15.3 (1978): 277-283.