On July 4, 1804, Nathaniel Hawthorne, a descendant of two Puritan prosecutors, was born in Salem, Massachusetts. He believed that his Puritan ancestors William and John Hathorne had committed wicked acts, which brought upon a curse on his family. William, a bitter and relentless man, prosecuted the Quakers in 1630 for going against the beliefs of the Puritan church. During the Salem witch trials of 1690, John presided as a judge and condemned innocent people of witchcraft. His condemnation of the innocent supposedly left a curse on his family that continued from generation to generation. Hawthorne wanted to repent for his ancestor’s actions by distancing himself from his family heritage, so he changed his last name from Hathorne to Hawthorne. Nathaniel’s body of work consisted of American short stories that emphasized the evils of the world. In “Young Goodman Brown,” Hawthorne writes about the change in his relationship with the people of Salem. Goodman Brown leaves his home at dusk and arrives back later at dawn to have a complete change in his perspective on the villagers of Salem. Goodman Brown finds that people he thought were pious instead are becoming members of a cult. As the sun
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As Brown leaves his home in Salem, Brown says to his wife that he must leave Salem for one night only and his wife needs to pray before falling asleep at an early time. Brown tells his wife that she will be safe if she does what he says. When Brown left his home, he noticed that Faith was looking at him with a “melancholy air”; Brown thought to himself, “Poor little Faith!” Brown decides to choose a road that goes through the dreary forest. While traveling through the woods, Brown met an old man who shared a striking resemblance to him. Brown told the old man that “Faith kept me back a while.” Brown’s blissful ignorance later turns into increasing doubt in his
As Brown leaves his home in Salem, Brown says to his wife that he must leave Salem for one night only and his wife needs to pray before falling asleep at an early time. Brown tells his wife that she will be safe if she does what he says. When Brown left his home, he noticed that Faith was looking at him with a “melancholy air”; Brown thought to himself, “Poor little Faith!” Brown decides to choose a road that goes through the dreary forest. While traveling through the woods, Brown met an old man who shared a striking resemblance to him. Brown told the old man that “Faith kept me back a while.” Brown’s blissful ignorance later turns into increasing doubt in his