Analysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s `` Young Goodman Brown...

When observing patterns of American literature, it’s often that one can see authors ahead of their times, condemning ideals and values that they deem unfair or distorted. These authors and the themes they write on serve as something along the lines of â€Å"moral purifiers† of their time, illustrating their intent for a change in their respective eras and cultures. In three particular short stories, namely Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, â€Å"A New England Nun† by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, and lastly Charlotte Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†, each individual author speaks out against the established norms of their time in search for moral change. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, he addresses the value of the intense religious culture of that early American time period and the hypocrisy that often went along with it by examining motifs of true faith and self-scrutiny. The symbolism in Hawthorne’s story isn’t meant to be subtle in the slightest whether it’s the wife of the eponymous character, a woman aptly named Faith, or the â€Å"mysterious† hooded man in black who leads him down a dark path, which can be easily inferred to be the Devil if one takes a look at it. Literary analyst Thomas Walsh explains, â€Å"For an understanding of what happens to Goodman Brown the reader should be conscious of three sets of symbols: first, Faith, Brown s wife, represents religious faith and faith in mankind; second, Brown s journey into the forest represents anShow MoreRelatedANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 Pagesï » ¿TEXT INTERPRETAT ION AND ANALYSIS The purpose of Text Interpretation and Analysis is a literary and linguistic commentary in which the reader explains what the text reveals under close examination. Any literary work is unique. It is created by the author in accordance with his vision and is permeated with his idea of the world. The reader’s interpretation is also highly individual and depends to a great extent on his knowledge and personal experience. That’s why one cannot lay down a fixed â€Å"model†