Puritan Belief System In Nathaniel Hathorne's Young Goodman Brown

“Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hathorne is a short story that is a prime example of the stylistic criticisms of Puritanical life that Hathorne is renowned for composing. Hathorne has a connection to those of Puritan faith, as “Two of his ancestors were judges; one had persecuted Quakers, and another had served at the Salem witch trials. ” The latter judge that this quote references is his direct ancestral link, Judge Hawthorne. The spelling is different because Nathaniel Hathorne, ashamed of his blighted heritage, took it upon himself to change the spelling so as to sever ties with those that came before him. Another prominent work he has written that calls out the Puritan belief system is The Scarlet Letter. It is considered to be Hathorne’s most widely known piece of literature. The story, “Young Goodman Brown” “allegorizes the dubious, self-proclaimed mission of Puritan New England, and, by extension,
America. ”
As for “Young Goodman Brown,” it begins with the protagonist, Goodman Brown, who decides to take a walk in the forest; even though he is …show more content…
He hides from them because he does not wish to be seen with ill company, but the Devil knows each and every of them by name. This is not a surprise, because earlier in the story, the Devil says that “I have made a very general acquaintance in New England. The deacons of many a church have drunk the communion wine with me; the selectmen of divers towns make me their chairman; and a majority of the Great and General Court are firm supporters of my interest. ” (Hathorne 149) He then goes on to explain that he knows the governor as well, but cannot speak of it. This makes the leap that what he was saying about the ancestors of Goodman Brown were not the men that they had told him they were and that what the Devil speaks is true, every word of it. The devil speaks the truth because it is the truth that is most convincing