In Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne, there is foreshadowing that Brown and his wife Faith may not be devote Puritans. This could be a factor explaining Browns actions, and possible hallucinations.
Faith is introduced to the story by her first name rather than Goodie Brown. Why would references to her be so informal? Even in present times many of the members of churches are referred to as Sisters and Brothers or Mrs. and Mr.
When brown leaves Faith to go on a night time errand, Faith is left standing on the porch with a pink ribbon in her hair that is blowing in the wind. Followers of the Puritan Faith traditionally only wore, “plain clothing... Their clothing was usually black white or gray” (http://www.historyonthenet.com/Stuarts/puritans.htm). If Faith was an honorable Puritan why would she be warring a pink ribbon in her hair, and why would her hair be uncovered while she was outside of the home? In A Young Puritan’s Code by Jonathan Edwards resolution number twelve states, “ Resolved, if I take delight in it as a gratification of pride, or vanity, or on any such account, immediately to throw it by”. Faith wearing a pink ribbon would be going against this resolution.
She also called Brown “Dearest heart” (par 2) while she is outside of the home, and begs him to take his time in leaving her, and come back to bed. This would be pore conduct for a woman of her time. Puritans believed that women carried the original sin of Eve, the first woman in biblical beliefs. It would seem that Faith would not want to reinforce from tempting her husband, and reliving the original sin of Eve. Instead she would want to, "demonstrate that they had experienced true evidence of the workings of God’s grace in their souls” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puritan).
Furthermore she tells Brown that she”…is troubled with such dreams and such thoughts, that she’s afeard of herself,” (par2). In the time of the story this may be construed as witch craft. The Puritan belief had a strict order in the families, the husbands having authority over wives; it would be uncommon for a wife to contradict her husband’s wishes by requesting him to change his course of action the way Faith did.
Perhaps Faith and Brown were not as dutiful as was dictated by the governing religion of their time. The guilt that Young Goodman Brown carried about his wife and himself not being as pure as was dictated may have influenced his incident in the forest.
Faith is introduced to the story by her first name rather than Goodie Brown. Why would references to her be so informal? Even in present times many of the members of churches are referred to as Sisters and Brothers or Mrs. and Mr.
When brown leaves Faith to go on a night time errand, Faith is left standing on the porch with a pink ribbon in her hair that is blowing in the wind. Followers of the Puritan Faith traditionally only wore, “plain clothing... Their clothing was usually black white or gray” (http://www.historyonthenet.com/Stuarts/puritans.htm). If Faith was an honorable Puritan why would she be warring a pink ribbon in her hair, and why would her hair be uncovered while she was outside of the home? In A Young Puritan’s Code by Jonathan Edwards resolution number twelve states, “ Resolved, if I take delight in it as a gratification of pride, or vanity, or on any such account, immediately to throw it by”. Faith wearing a pink ribbon would be going against this resolution.
She also called Brown “Dearest heart” (par 2) while she is outside of the home, and begs him to take his time in leaving her, and come back to bed. This would be pore conduct for a woman of her time. Puritans believed that women carried the original sin of Eve, the first woman in biblical beliefs. It would seem that Faith would not want to reinforce from tempting her husband, and reliving the original sin of Eve. Instead she would want to, "demonstrate that they had experienced true evidence of the workings of God’s grace in their souls” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puritan).
Furthermore she tells Brown that she”…is troubled with such dreams and such thoughts, that she’s afeard of herself,” (par2). In the time of the story this may be construed as witch craft. The Puritan belief had a strict order in the families, the husbands having authority over wives; it would be uncommon for a wife to contradict her husband’s wishes by requesting him to change his course of action the way Faith did.
Perhaps Faith and Brown were not as dutiful as was dictated by the governing religion of their time. The guilt that Young Goodman Brown carried about his wife and himself not being as pure as was dictated may have influenced his incident in the forest.
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