Young Goodman Brown Evil is the Nature of Mankind Essay

Young Goodman Brown: Evil is the Nature of Mankind nbsp; quot; Lo! there ye stand, my children, said the figure, in a deep and solemn tone, almost sad, with its despairing awfulness, as if his once angelic nature could yet mourn for our miserable race. Depending upon one anothers hearts, ye had still hoped, that virtue were not all a dream. Now are undeceived! Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness. Welcome, again, my children, to the communion of your race! quot; This particular quote has the mark of cynicism that although may not be common in our time for writing, was probably a very common writing style during certain times in the history of American Literature. This of course would depend on†¦show more content†¦At the end of the story, it becomes apparent that the theme has changed from one of predestination to the underlying theme that the devil himself stated at the end of the quote; evil is the nature of mankind. At the beginning of the quote, the devil uses the word quot;Lo.quot; In the past this word has been used as a word for bow down. It is as though he is setting up even from the beginning of the quote for the people to worship him and not God. Not only this, but he uses the phrase quot;my childrenquot; which is a phrase that Jesus often used in his sermons. He is so glad to be able to take advantage of the sins they have commited so that he can prove that he does have followers and that even and especially the righteous would praise him and worship him. This they would do despite the fact that his sin was the betrayal of God himself. Sociohistorically, the Puritans always thought of themselves as chosen and pure of heart as they did in this particular story and as young goodman Brown had always thought they were. In the quote, however, the devil points out that no matter how righteous of an appearance any of them gave in the community, they were all still there at his gathe ring worshippingShow MoreRelatedThe Brown s A Forest, And The Devil !1742 Words   |  7 PagesBrown’s, A Forest, and The Devil! Oh My Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† tells a tale of when man, who is supposedly good in nature, faces temptation and evil head on. The story, much like the tale of Adam Eve, is an allegory for the evil and selfishness of mankind; for young Goodman Brown s fight with his inner temptations and his outward struggle with the devil himself represents mankind s lost encounter within the battle of good and evil. Though it is not clear whether the events in the forestRead More Analysis of Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay1517 Words   |  7 Pages Analysis of Young Goodman Brown nbsp; Young Goodman Brown by Nathanial Hawthorne is a short story that is very interesting, as well as entertaining. 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