Goodman Brown Romanticism

Yong Goodman Brown is a short story published 1835, written by Nathaniel Hawthorn. Hawthorn was born in Salem, Massachusetts. His great-great grandfather was a judge in the Salem Witch Trails, and this made the family feel that they had been “cursed” by this tragic event and their connection to it. Hawthorn’s family had also been influential and wealthy during puritan times. This is the reason why much of his writing deals with the topic of puritans and his shame over his connection to this.1 Hawthorn believed that “the author has provided himself with a moral - the truth, namely, that the wrongdoing of one generation lives into the successive ones”. He held a dark view of human nature and believed that people are inherently selfish and that some would even imply that humans are inherently evil. This would mean that the world is a relatively unhappy, inhospitable place where people sometimes indulge their evil impulse if given the chance. 3
The story of Young Goodman Brown is very much gothic literature and takes place in the 17th century when the puritans graced New England. Hawthorn was known for writing in this gothic style. Gothic literature tends to investigate the dark side of humanity and to depict themes such as darkness, sorrow, fear, terror and mystery.2 Hawthorn writes about Young Goodman Brown’s journey into introspection, which results in his loss of belief and virtue. Hawthorn uses ghosts or other spiritual forces in his writing to show us that there is a