...Compare and Contrast “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Lottery” By: Melissa A. Reeves Professor Andrew Smith ENGL 102-B46 LUO Thesis Statement The stories “The Lottery” and “Young Goodman Brown” both appear to show that human behavior and judgment can be flawed, even if the person’s intentions appear good to them. There is a level of fear and underlying evil in Puritan settings in both stories. I. Introduction/Statement of Thesis II. Themes and Author’s Purpose A. The Lottery i. Just because something has always been done, does not make it right or just; following the crowd can be dangerously wrong and evil. ii. The author shows through symbolism and storytelling that people can be easily influenced by society and those around them. iii. Also, the themes or persecution is addressed. B. Young Goodman Brown i. The theme is that believing that you are a righteous person does not always make you righteous. ii. The idea of doing one evil thing, but justifying it because it is only one time and he will never do it again and will be a good man afterward is addressed. III. Conclusion Symbolism found within “The Lottery” and “Young Goodman Brown” Melissa A. Reeves Liberty University Professor Andrew Smith 08/03/2014 Symbolism is found within both stories “The Lottery” and “Young Goodman Brown”. In both stories, symbols help in conveying the theme to the reader. In Shirley Jackson’s...
Words: 1043 - Pages: 5
...of self-conflict in the fictional short stories of “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and “The Rocking Horse Winner” by D.H. Lawrence. Both main characters want to be pleasing and accepted in their tumultuous worlds. However, both fall short in finding their place in a dark, cold world. Outline 1) Fictional Short Stories to compare and contrast a. “The Rocking Horse Winner” by D.H. Lawrence b. “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorn 2) Main Characters a. Young Goodman Brown b. Paul 3) Nature of Characters (Similarities) c. Confused d. Lost e. Torn between two worlds f. Wanting to do well, but pressure pushes them to give in to temptations and wants. 4) Story Similarities g. Other people’s actions or feeling seem to drive the characters h. Family and other relationships are important i. Both characters seem pulled towards “worldly” forces 5) Story Ending j. Although they both try so hard to succeed and do well, they fail. Torn Between Two Worlds In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”, (Kennedy, X.J. and Gioia, D. 2013. p.90), you are quickly thrust into the world of a young man who appears to have it all; passionate...
Words: 1536 - Pages: 7
...Analysis on “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne There has been much speculation and analysis on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown.” Each and every one has their own opinions about what Hawthorne really meant about this short story, but of course you can tell by their accreditation which source is more likely to be accurate. In “Young Goodman Brown”, the main character, Goodman Brown, experiences a life changing revelation at the beginning of this short story. The experience is a walk through the woods, something that he states his father and father’s father embarked on. This particular journey shapes his life and changes him forever. What is particularly peculiar about this journey is that it goes through the woods at night. And during this time period if you were caught in the woods at night you were considered a Satan worshiper, doing the Devil’s brood, or practicing witchcraft, which meant all the same things during this era. We know Young Goodman Brown is a Puritan based on his belief system, so this experience isn’t one he is looking forward to, but he knows he has to do it. Kind of like getting a shot, you know you have to do it, and it’s good for you, but you are hesitant about doing it. So along the journey he meets with a man that looks similar to him, but older. The man is kind of dark and shady, and he carries a staff that looks like a serpent. So the symbolism there represents that this man is the Devil. Throughout the duration of his journey...
Words: 883 - Pages: 4
...Outline a. Introduction I. Two stories for comparison are introduced. II. ‘The Destructors’ and ‘The Young Goodman Brown’ are discussed in and compared. b. The theme of conflict is chosen as the central topic to be discussed. I. Loss of innocence ingrained by corruption is demonstrated. II. Decision making is tested. c. Purpose of both stories I. Appreciation of dramatic symbols II. Influence of terror d. Unique techniques, styles and devices I. Paradox is demonstrated II. Ambiguity is discussed Introduction Graham Greene’s short story of ‘Destructors’ printed in the year 1954 involves a group of teenagers resolves to damage an old man’s shelter. This story is complicated introducing several themes and expounding possibilities. However, the major theme in this short story is that of conflict. Also, the short story of young Goodman Brown involves Nathaniel Hawthorne, who was born in the year 1804. Born in Massachusetts, he was raised by his mother who was a widow. This short story entails a journey made by Hawthorne. This route was considered wicked since it was also hidden. Relating the two stories, there are several similarities and differences present. This essay will explain the main theme present between two chosen stories of ‘The Destructors’ and ‘The Young Goodman Brown’ short stories.it will also focus on the purpose and unique techniques. Conflict Conflict in these stories is broken down to different sub-themes...
Words: 916 - Pages: 4
...The world today has faced many trials and tribulations. It is quite similar to the two short stories ‘Young Goodman Brown” and “The Lottery.” In these stories, characters are faced with situations beyond their own imagination and to makes things worse is how they are tested. They will encounter people and other things that are unjust. These stories bring a lot of comparisons such as the setting of the stories, but mostly there are contrasts such as the symbolism within the stories and the meaning each author put behind their stories. In comparing the two short stories “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Lottery,” it is easily noticed that both of these stories takes place well within the community setting. Each story has the involvement of the people who lives within the town. Details in the story showcase how the communities makes the characters feel accepted one way or another to a certain extinct. Within these communities, each has their own traditions, laws, and perimeters that justify the reasoning behind what they do. In turn it kind of makes these communities have a sense of uniqueness to them and that is why individuals are pulled in and want to be part of these communities. In addition, both of these stories showcase a sense of a happy ambience and exuberance. In “The Lottery,” the author, Shirley Jackson illustrates a perfect day by stating “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with a fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely...
Words: 1037 - Pages: 5
...Young Goodman Brown and The Lottery The comparison and contrasts between The Lottery by Shirley Jackson (1948) and Young Goodman Brown, by Hawthorne (1835) in this essay takes on the topic of “blindly following traditions”(Jackson, 1948) and “the weakness of the public morality” (Hawthorne, 1835). While the entire society members are under the authority of Old Man Warner are employed in The Lottery, The character of Goodman Brown is employed to depict the theme. Young Goodman Brown, by Hawthorne (1835), “The Weakness of Public Morality” In this story, the author emphasizes how corruption is the result of the insistence on the Puritan society and is the cause of moral decline and the diminishment of personal faith. Goodman makes the decision to go to the forest to meet the devil however, he takes cover when he realizes that the minister and the Deacon Gookin because he was concerned with appearance even though they are also out there. Brown’s religious beliefs are strongly connected with the belief that all of his peers believe the same as he does. When Goodman recognizes that his peers including his father and grandfather shaped his religious beliefs made a deal with the devil, he...
Words: 709 - Pages: 3
...The Most Dangerous Game vs. Young Goodman Brown In two of the most well-known short stories, “The Most Dangerous Game” and “Young Goodman Brown”, there are ironic similarities portraying evil between their settings, characterization, and plot. I. There happen to be different settings in both of the short stories but both of the settings adapt well with their plots. a. In the short story, “The Most Dangerous Game” the setting takes place in the early 1920’s after the First World War on a small tropical island somewhere in the Caribbean, known as Ship-Trap Island by the sailors. b. Whereas, in the short story, “Young Goodman Brown” the story is set in the late seventeenth century in Salem, a small town northeast of Boston in Massachusetts around the time of the Salem witch trials. II. The characters in both of these short stories have close similarities to each other as they both demonstrate good and evil traits, which help the plot flow. a. The main characters in “The Most Dangerous Game” are Sanger Rainsford, General Zaroff, Whitney, and Ivan. b. The main characters in the story “Young Goodman Brown” are Goodman Brown, Faith, The Old Man/Devil Figure, The Minister, Goody Cloyse, and Deakon Gookin. III. The plot of the short stories, although they are different, both exhibit evil conflicts that develop throughout the story. a. The plot in “The Most Dangerous Game” is about hunting. b. In the plot of “Young Goodman Brown” Goodman Brown has to leave one night but...
Words: 2292 - Pages: 10
...short stories are “The Lottery and “Young Goodman Brown”. Making a decision which is better will be a tough choice. Although both stories are similar in its theme, it is transported differently in each story. The stories display different character analysis and word choice. I. My favorite pastime is reading short stories. a. Two stories I can read repeatedly. i. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. ii. “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. b. The authors battle with depression in their lives. i. Shirley Jackson was stricken server depression from time to time. ii. Nathaniel Hawthorne was depressed because of his ill health and the toll of the Civil War. II. Scenery and characters of “The Lottery” and Young Goodman Brown. a. Towns identified as small villages. i. “The Lottery” was a small village with no name. 1. The story gives a population of 300 people living there ii. “Young Goodman Brown” story took place in a small village called Salem. b. The wives in the story played contrast characters. i. Tessie Hutchinson was a main character that went through climax and denouement. ii. Faith Brown played somewhat of a static character. c. The husbands were portrayed differently in the stories. i. Bill Hutchinson persona was very multi-dimensional ii. Goodman Brown played the main character that was a foil to Ms. Hutchinson. III. How are we to use the themes of these stories? a. Analyzing the moral of the stories i....
Words: 1307 - Pages: 6
...1. How are the names Goodman Brown and Faith symbolic to the meaning of the story? List two other symbolic words used and give your interpretation of them? First, the story of “Young Goodman Brown” is a story that is a symbolic representation of religious faith in our world. Therefore, in the story, Goodman Brown is a symbol of the everyday man or even mankind as a whole. He portrays the struggle that humans have in seeking faith and belief in a God or higher power that we as people sometimes try to strive to serve or obey. He is just a simple human being with both the capability for either good and evil depending on his choices throughout the book. Faith, on the other hand, is a representation of serenity or peace we have when we are holding true to those beliefs and not allowing the evil or doubt in our life to sway our belief in God. Faith is not based on what our eyes see or that we can confirm it is simply a belief that we have chosen to believe as true regardless of any evidence to the contrary. There are other examples of symbols used in this story. One of the other symbols is the pink ribbons used through the entire story. They can be seen as the human struggles that we have with faith. Sometimes we have faith, sometimes we struggle to believe, and sometimes we can no longer believe in it anymore and these pink ribbons are used to show that struggle within the story. The last symbolic example I will use is that...
Words: 1430 - Pages: 6
...Most Dangerous Game vs. Young Goodman Brown Fiction Essay Outline COURSE # and Title: English 102: Literature and Composition SEMESTER OF ENROLLMENT: Summer B16 2012 NAME: Serena Bostick ID#:L23079418 Writing Style Used: APA Serena Bostick Professor Spring Zuidema English 102-B16 20 May 2012 The Most Dangerous Game vs. Young Goodman Brown I. These are two well-known short stories, “The Most Dangerous Game” and “Young Goodman Brown”, these stories both depict evil in their settings, plot, and characterization. 1. Both of the short stories have different settings but both of the settings go great with the plot. a. In the short story “The Most Dangerous Game” the setting takes place in the early 1920’s shortly after the First World War. b. In the short story “Young Goodman Brown” the setting takes place in the late seventeenth century in Salem, a town northeast of Boston in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. II. Characters in both of these short stories have many similarities such as they both show evil traits that allow the plot to flow. a. The main characters in “The Most Dangerous Game” are Sanger Rainsford, General Zaroff, Whitney, Ivan, Neilsen, and Crewmen of the San Lucar. b. The main characters in “Young Goodman Brown” are Goodman Brown, Faith, The Devil Figure, Minister, Deacon Gookin, Goody Cloyse, Martha Carrier, Powwows, and Various Townspeople. III. The plot of the short stories, although they differ, both contain evil conflicts...
Words: 294 - Pages: 2
...Kazuki Robertson Young Goodman Brown Paul Ohler Cohort #25 On a daily basis, we are launched into new experiences that test our certain point of view's. Some go as far as to twist all our previous knowledge and leave us with nothing but doubt in our minds; This was true for Young Goodman Brown the night he left his wife Faith to wander into the woods. Some would conclude Goodman became one with the devil when his initiation took place deep in the forest but his initiation.The strong symbolism scattered throughout the story brings out it's natural good vs evil plot and even shows similarities to Adam and eve. Young Goodman Brown was a Protestant man along with the whole population of his village. He has a wife named Faith that he has been married to for a short period of 3 months. Both his Father and Grandfather were religious and contributed to the society of the village. Overall, the introduction of his character portrays Goodman as one with good morals. Slowly over the course of the short story Young Goodman Brown does not change himself but begins to question if his morals and conscience are religiously purposeful. One strong characteristic Nathaniel Hawthorne shows in Young Goodman Brown is his innocence. His name "Young Goodman Brown" is a derivative of a justly innocent man and his wife Faith is shown to be his true belief. There are a lot of symbolic objects throughout the story and one includes his wife's pink ribbon. Pink is a color of youth and innocence and...
Words: 1117 - Pages: 5
...February 2, 2015 Thesis – Can two completely different stories have similarities in their setting and how the setting was used to support the story? I. Introduction – YGB and The Destructors took place during different time periods and in completely different locations. (Young Goodman Brown (YGB) – Nathanial Hawthorne published 1835, setting 17th century. The Destructors – Graham Greene published 1954 – setting mid 1950s) a. Different time period b. Different country c. Different time of day II. Why does the setting matter? d. Include character impact. e. The setting in both stories makes them believable III. Both stories rely on their settings to support the plot f. YGB – The setting creates a dark atmosphere. Allows the readier to believe there is witch craft happening and the devil is involved g. The Destructors – The setting creates a desolate location, much of a city after war time. The entire plot is based on symbolism and would not be able to occur if the town wasn’t recovering from war. The whole block was bombed, except the one house that the story is about. IV. Conclusion – both stories took place during different era’s, in different countries and had different conflicts. Similarly, the setting of each supported the plot that showcased conflicts true to the time period. Both stories were written by authors that were from the area. Both stories used the setting (place and time period) to deliver a moral...
Words: 963 - Pages: 4
...completely overwhelms the greater number of his subjects, and which in some measure interferes with the direct conduct of absolutely all.” (Poe, 1847) It seems as though Poe regarded Hawthorne’s work as works of allegory. To say that this was the only literary element he employed, however, would be false. Throughout history, authors have endeavoured to master other forms of literary elements, to become the master of those elements, and equal to none in them. By comparing “The Cask of Amontillado” with “Young Goodman Brown”, is to study two masters, at odds with their specific forms of writing, but each a master in his own right. Each story shows how two people that can be so far apart on a scale, can use the same literary elements in similar and different ways without compromising their work as a whole. Foreshadowing Foreshadowing is vital in the world of literature. Foreshadowing is always about being subtle. How can an author slip in a clue or help build a story to a dramatic, yet unforeseen conclusion? Foreshadowing in the hands of a master seems to be a piece of elegance and can be so subtle that the reader wonders how he or she missed...
Words: 1978 - Pages: 8
...Introduction "Young Goodman Brown" tells the tale of a young Puritan man drawn into a covenant with the Devil. Brown's illusions about the goodness of his society are crushed when he discovers that many of his fellow townspeople, including religious leaders and his wife, are attending a Black Mass. At the end of the story, it is not clear whether Brown's experience was nightmare or reality, but the results are nonetheless the same. Brown is unable to forgive the possibility of evil in his loved ones and as a result spends the rest of his life in desperate loneliness and gloom. Though a work of fiction, "Young Goodman Brown'' is widely considered to be one of the most effective literary works to address the hysteria surrounding the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Hawthorne is also remembered for helping to establish the short story as a respected form of literature and as a proponent of instilling morals and lessons into his writing. Source: Short Stories for Students, ©2012 Gale Cengage. "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne chronicles the disturbing dream of a young Puritan man in Salem. In the dream, Goodman Brown comes face to face with evil and is forced to examine the nature of evil in man. He is disgusted by the evil he encounters, not realizing his own involvement. Through a psychoanalytic approach to analyzing the text, the reader can see that the meaning of the text lies in discovering the meaning of Goodman Brown's encounter in the woods. The story begins with...
Words: 407 - Pages: 2
...Mentality Transformed The short stories “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe are stories that showcase similarities such as mental health and macabre. They also have two important differences such as murder and religion. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman Brown” one will read about a man name Goodman Brown leaving home to go on a voyage. On this voyage he enters a dark and gloomy forest where it is told that the Devil lives. He hopes to return to his wife and not be swayed by the evils lurking in the forest. After the night his faith and mindset are shattered when he returns home. His journey shows that the events that occurred can either be real or an insight look into...
Words: 1832 - Pages: 8
