Free Essays - A Psychological Analysis of Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown :: Young Goodman Brown YGB

My first thought when I read the story is that theres a psychological aspect to this. This aspect comes to life when Brown begins to accept the reality that he seems to repress. Which reality is this? As imperfect humans, weve occasionally used poor intellect on issues in our everyday lives, but what is most important is how we deal with these experiences that will become forever frozen in our minds. I feel that this is the major(ip) cause of anguish for Brown. When you look at his society and the beliefs of the townspeople, one can understand how Browns conscience can be very overbearing. So overbearing that it causes him to waste delusions concerning the welfare of his soul. I believe it is a dream or nightmare for Brown, one that he will never be able to deal with. iodin wonders how Browns townsfolk deal with their sins. Do they repress them or just keep them hid from others? Through time, Brown learns he is not alone when it comes to dealing with good and evil. Isnt he just d ealing with good? Or is it the connection between good and evil that bugs him? His own wife, Faith, is bothered with symptoms a lone woman is troubled with much(prenominal) dreams. Brown mentions, She talks of dreams, too, which is a somewhat reassuring statement for him. This seems to confirm the notion that his journey is a fabrication of his unconscious (a dream) and that his wife has similar problems. Its kind of ironic that her name is Faith, which seems to be the very thing that she is lacking. Also, Brown is caught offguard when he sees the journeyman mingle with Goody Cloyse. He comments that old woman taught me my catechism such a respectable woman is talking to evil. We are also told of how Browns family wasnt as wholesome as he believed. His grand let lashed a Quaker woman while his father set fire to an Indian village. How did these men deal with their actions? I can remember reading about Puritans who used to whip themselves for their sins. This torment can decimate you to a physical numbness but the sin is still in your mind. Through it all, I wonder about all the hell people were fix up through, during this time period, for acts that were deemed unacceptable  I really like the symbolism in this story.