LITR 5535: American Romanticism

Sample Student Research Project 2006

Nguyen Le

The Journey of the Romance Narrative in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” for the criticism of Puritanism

Although “Young Goodman Brown” is not a long story and may not be the most important work by Nathaniel Hawthorne, I find it a good example of romanticism, with its romantic characteristics. Through the description of the journey by young goodman Brown into the forest at dark, filled with the Gothic shading, across physical or symbolic boundaries to the enlightenment, and also disillusionment, of discovering the truth of the human nature, Hawthorne makes use of the elements of the romance narrative in order to bravely express his criticism of Puritanism.  

As a start, we need to know a little information about Puritanism in order to understand why it is criticized in Hawthorne’s story. The online encyclopedia Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puritan) provides a brief summary of Puritanism as follows.

The central tenet of Puritanism was God's supreme authority over human affairs, particularly in the church, and especially as expressed in the Bible. This view led them to seek both individual and corporate conformance to the teaching of the Bible, and it led them to pursue both moral purity down to the smallest detail as well as ecclesiastical purity to the highest level.

On the individual level, the Puritans emphasized that each person should be continually reformed by the grace of God to fight against indwelling sin and do what is right before God. A humble and obedient life would arise for every Christian.

The Puritans tended to admire the early church fathers and quoted them liberally in their works. … The Pilgrims (the separatist, congregationalist Puritans who went to North America) are likewise famous for banning from their New England colonies many secular entertainments, such as games of chance, maypoles, and drama, all of which were perceived as kinds of immorality.

At the level of the church body, the Puritans believed that the worship in the church ought to be strictly regulated by what is commanded in the Bible (known as the regulative principle of worship). The Puritans condemned as idolatry many worship practices regardless of the practices' antiquity or widespread adoption among Christians, which their opponents defended with tradition. Like some of Reformed churches on the European continent, Puritan reforms were typified by a minimum of ritual and decoration and by an unambiguous emphasis on preaching. Like the early church fathers, they eliminated the use of musical instruments in their worship services, for various theological and practical reasons. Outside of church, however, Puritans were quite fond of music and encouraged it in certain ways.

The excessively strict and somewhat extremist principles of the Puritan dogmatism are the reasons for Hawthorne’s criticism in his stories. While Hawthorne criticizes Puritanism in “The Scarlet Letter” by praising love and emotions that triumph over authority and religious beliefs, here in "Young Goodman Brown," Hawthorne's criticism is expressed through the doubt and collapse of faith in what is considered as the symbols of the good according to Puritanism.

Next, we need to examine how Hawthorne has used the romance narrative to serve his purpose of the story. Firstly, according to Northrop Frye in his book “Anatomy of Criticism – Four Essays”, part of which deals with the theory and practice of the romance narrative, “the essential element of plot in romance is adventure” (186) and “the complete form of the romance is clearly the successful quest” with “three main stages: the stage of the perilous journey and the preliminary minor adventures; the crucial struggle; and the exaltation of the hero (187). Moreover, “in many solar myths, too, the hero travels perilously through a dark labyrinthine underworld full of monsters between sunset and sunrise. This theme may become a structural principle of fiction on any level of sophistication.” (Frye 190) Hawthorne’s story also follows this principle. In order to find the truth, Goodman goes further into the forest and further into the night - the dark with all its secrets and mysteries. Goodman Brown tells his wife, “My journey, as thou callest it, forth and back again, must needs be done ‘twixt now and runrise,” (610) fits Frye’s projection of the setting.

The forest is also a typical component of romance narrative, in which “temptation is likely to be encountered in a deep forest rather than on a broad, sunny plain” (Murfin & Ray 415). Goodman can turn back and go home when he meets the man with the serpent staff, but he can't help going on with him. Although he does not believe and is even against what the elder traveller says, Goodman wants to find out the truth or some evidence of it. He goes with the other guy but still keeps control over himself. He insists on keeping his path and refuses to take the serpent staff and to be led by the elder guy. His reaction now is resent and indignation, which step by step turns into doubt after the conversation between the elder companion and Goody Cloyse, "a very pious and exemplary dame," (612) then astonishment and heart-sinking at the dialogue between the minister and Deacon Gookin about the communion. These can be considered as young goodman Brown’s preliminary adventures. The “death-struggle” - as Frye names the second stage – is goodman Brown’s reaction at the passing and disappearance of Faith, a struggle with total desperation and frenzy. "My Faith is gone! There is no good on earth, and sin is but a name. Come, devil, for to thee is this world given." (615) Hawthorne is really courageous in his criticism by letting his character Goodman making such an utterance, which can be considered as a blasphemy and revolt against Puritanism. Goodman's wife, together with his faith in God and God's redemption, is gone and he is lost! His faith has collapsed, he has nothing left to cling to, and he gives himself up to the devil. In this case, the third stage at the end of the adventures is a tragic one – a reversion of exaltation: goodman Brown’s collapse. However, this is the transcendent idea when goodman Brown is enlightened and is able to “see” the inner, true nature of the people around him. This is a similar but not exact pattern as Frye’s ideas of the romantic plot and it demonstrates Hawthorne’s ingenuity.

As for the characters, Hawthorne also shows his flexibility in his treatment with the romance narrative. Frye states, “the characterization of romance follows its general dialectic structure, which means that subtlety and complexity are not much favored. Characters tend to be either for or against the quest.” “Every typical character in romance tend to have his moral opposite confronting him, like black and white pieces in a chess game.” (Frye 195) In Hawthorne story, the same structure can be seen, with Faith, goodman Brown’s wife is against the quest at the beginning, and his companion and those he meets in the forest are all for it. What is creative in Hawthorne’s story is the shift in the qualities associated with those protagonists and antagonists. Frye says, “if they [the characters] assist it [the quest] they are idealized as simply gallant or pure; if they obstruct it they are caricatured as simply villainous or cowardly.” Here, in the story, it is not all the same as that model. Goodman Brown’s wife, Faith, as she “was aptly named” (610) does not want him to make the journey. However, she is depicted as a good, caring and faithful woman, not a villainous person. Meanwhile, as it turns out later on his journey, his companions, who encourage and assist his journey, are all subject to the evil, including his wife, no matter how honourable and pious they are supposed to be with their actual names and positions in the day life. They are no longer “gallant or pure”. Hawthorne’s use of contrasting images makes the journey and the discovery more surprising and disturbing, thus more effective in his criticism. 

Goodman's overnight collapse of faith remarkably results from the collapse of his major worships. During a rather short time of one night, he witnesses the dark and hideous sides and the horrible secrets of his honourable grandfather, his catechism teacher and moral and spiritual adviser and the respected reverend Minister and Deacon. Respectable as they are, they are eager to join the devil and evil. Goody Cloyse is willing to take the serpentine staff to get to the devilish meeting place quickly. "Of the two, reverend sir," says the voice like the deacon's, "I'd rather miss an ordination dinner than tonight's meeting." (614) The solemn old tones of the minister reply, "Spur up, or we shall be late." (614) All the representatives of the good during the daytime now become bad, ungodly and demeaned people in the dark. They give Goodman a sharp quaking blow at his belief.

Here, Hawthorne's criticism is emphasized by the enormous number of the followers of the evil, among whom were the highest of the Puritans, the strongest and most enthusiastic apologists of Puritanism. Thus, there must be something better and more attractive in this kingdom of the evil than Puritanism. That is why so many people, ungodly as well as reverend Puritan ones, all want to enter it! If it is so, then those Puritan spiritual leaders are hypocritical and deceitful. They talk about the good during the day and they are subject to the evil at dark. These people always talk about the good, the heavenly teachings and the Bible, the worship of God, the prayers, the righteousness, the piety, etc. - the mental and spiritual side of the people. They condemn their emotional and instinctive side, which they say has much to do with the evil, the wickedness, the sin and guilt, the wantonness, etc. Everything has two sides. You stand in the light and you only see the good bright things, not the dark ones. To explore the dark things and get them uncovered, you have to enter the kingdom of the dark. Until then can you find out which is actually the good and which is the evil. To Puritanism, emotional and instinctive love is considered "evil," only the love and worship of God is justified. In fact, those people are much inclined to the second side, though secretly, because the emotional side also plays an important part in their lives, for instance, love and compassion. Deceitful are those who claim themselves to be pious Puritans, for now they are all present at the "evil" meeting. That is why the sable figure says,

Depending upon one another's hearts, ye had still hoped that virtue were not all a dream. Now are ye undeceived. Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness. Welcome again, my children, to the communion of your race. (618)

Now, just accept one another and admit your love, your true love for one another. Then you are undeceived and you can find happiness. Though this is "evil" in the viewpoint of Puritanism, it may not be "evil" in that of humanism, which is for the sake of the humans themselves.

Another noticeable point in Hawthorne’s characterization is the choice of the names. Besides the names with attributes of the other characters, it is the names of the main characters that are symbolic and ironic in the story. The husband's name is goodman Brown and the wife's is Faith, which are all to do with the criteria of the Puritans as pious, righteous, loyal and regular church-goers. And this couple actually is like that, at least until that dreadful and sinful meeting the night Goodman goes into the forest. When Goodman goes at dusk, he has decided to keep his previous covenant, a "good" character required from Puritans. By doing this, he has left Faith, his wife and even his own faith, the latter of which he finds out after taking that journey and discovering the dark sides of everything. His Faith is not able to confine him in his house and later his faith cannot keep him from joining the devilish communion. The author's criticism of Puritanism can be interpreted through this idea, for the religious beliefs, though so harsh and severe, are not strong enough to provide the followers with a safe armor or shelter against the temptation of the evil, which is said in this story to be of human nature.

In addition to the mainstream use of the journey of the romance narrative, many other elements of romanticism are utilized in the story “Young Goodman Brown” to emphasize the criticism of Puritanism, such as the Gothic, the sublime, rebellion, and desire and loss. A lot of Gothic shading can be found in the setting of goodman Brown’s departure as “He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest,” (610); during the journey with the companion who has “a staff, which bore the likeness of a great black snake” in the “uncertain light”; and at the destination with the sable form and the congregation which “alternately shone forth, then disappeared in shadow, and again grew, as it were, out of the darkness, peopling the heart of the solitary woods at once.” (616).

The sublime images can also be found here at the gathering, as “among them, quivering to-and-fro, between gloom and splendor, appeared faces” in a setting both overwhelming and frightening (618).

In the interval of silence, he stole forward, until the light glared full upon his eyes. At one extremity of an open space, hemmed in by the dark wall of the forest, arose a rock, bearing some rude, natural resemblance either to an altar or pulpit, and surrounded by four blazing pines, their tops a flame, their stems untouched, like candles at an evening meeting. The mass of foliage, that had overgrown the summit of the rock, was all on fire, blazing high into the night, and fitfully illuminating the whole field. Each pendent twig and leafy festoon was in a blaze.” (618) 

The ideas of rebellion and desire and loss are also demonstrated with goodman Brown crying, roaring and laughing as he lost his Faith, in both meanings. His cries can be heard: “My Faith is gone!” and his rage in despair: “Ha! ha! ha! Let us hear which will laugh loudest! Think not to frighten me with your deviltry! Come witch, come wizard, come Indian powow, come devil himself! and here comes goodman Brown. You may as well fear him as he fear you!” (615)

In conclusion, through the short story “Young Goodman Brown”, with a sad, unhappy ending, Hawthorne has produced a good example of a work of romanticism, where he has successfully utilized the principles, techniques and ideas of romance narrative to courageously and strikingly criticize Puritanism through the journey of young Goodman Brown. Although it is not clear whether Goodman has taken an actual journey or he has only dreamed the events, the impact of the story is the same. With the images of the representatives of the church and honoured Puritans and the proliferation of the evil, Hawthorne shows readers the dark side of harsh extremist Puritanism and its strict dogmatism, which soon leads to the doubt and collapse of faith among its followers.

WORKS CITED

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Young Goodman Brown". The Norton Anthology
of American Literature. Shorter Sixth Edition. Nina Baym. New York – London: W. W. Norton & Company, 2003. 610-619.

Frye, Northrop. Anatomy of Criticism – Four Essays. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1957. 186-206.

Murfin, Ross and Ray, Supra M. The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. Boston – New York: Bedford/St Martin’s, 2003. 414-422.

Wikipedia Encyclopedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puritan>