Literary Elements Used in Young Goodman Brown Essay

A Dream with Profound Effect

In Nathaniel Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown, we read about a devout protestant who takes the reader on a journey of symbolism. Goodman Brown, newly married leaves his wife at dusk to venture in the woods and meet a mysterious man. We do not know his purpose of his travel but are led to believe that it is something dark, and evil. Goodman Brown becomes agitated at the reason and expectation of his journey that he thinks twice about returning home, yet he resumes on. Goodman Brown discovers others that he recognizes. His mind plays tricks on him, as he hears familiar voices and sees familiar forms of the puritan Christians that he adored and looked up to. He fears the worst as he recognizes his wife at the initiation in the forest. He balks and cries out refusing to let his soul be taken. Immediately he is back at Salem Village confused and bewildered. He then lives the rest of his life in bitterness and raging disbelief. He loathes the people around him because he has lost faith in human kind. Had Goodman Brown fallen asleep in the forest and only dreamed a wild dream of a witch-meeting?(881). The author shows in setting, coincidences, and ambiguous use of words that this was a dream.

The setting of Young Goodman Brown starts in the sunset and goes through the night into the woods. The woods can be seen as the unconscious mind because humans rethink and mull over thoughts in their minds, like a person who travels in the woods. The setting of night time also is a hint of sleep and dreaming. He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through, and closed immediately behind. It was all as lonely as could be; and there is this peculiarity in such a solitude, that the traveler knows not who may be concealed by the innumerable trunks and the thick boughs over head; so that with lonely footsteps he may yet be passing through an unseen multitude(874). Here the text supports a dream scenario. Most people are dreary and in the dark while they sleep. Even though a person may be sleeping next to someone they essentially fall asleep by themselves, alone. When we fall asleep we do not know what we will dream of that night or if we will dream at all. This is supported by the traveler who knows not who may be concealed and unseen.

There are many coincidences in this story. One is that most dreams that are talked about and analyzed are actually nightmares. It is rare that you find people discussing or remembering plain, good dreams. Nightmares are given more thought. So, what makes a nightmare? It depends on the person and time. During Hawthornes time nightmares that riddled the people were: being prosecuted as witches, evil, and the fear of falling out of grace. This goes right along with verisimilitude. It is very believable that this affected the people of this generation. Goodman Brown shows the reader that all these fears are true to him and makes this his nightmare. Goodman Brown says, What if the devil himself should be at my very elbow! (874), and suddenly a man appears. The man addresses him and his own voice tremors at his appearance. This is just another coincidence.

Another referral to this dream state and coincidence is when the author states It was now deep dusk in the forest, and deepest in that part of it where these two were journeying (874). Hawthorne takes us through the stages of sleep. First he showed us the first stage of sleep meaning the light sleep at dusk then he takes us through to the fourth stage of sleep in which deep sleep occurs. By taking us to the deep dusk, the deepest part we now expect a heart racing scene to occur. And, maddened with despair, so that he laughed loud and long, did Goodman Brown grasp his staff and set forth again, at such a rate that he seemed to fly along the forest path rather than to walk or run. The road grew wilder and drearier and more faintly traced, and vanished at length, leaving him in the heart of the dark wilderness, still rushing onward with the instinct that guides mortal man to evil(878). Here we see the fourth stage of sleep also known as R.E.M. sleep or delta sleep. During this time your blood pressure rises, brain activity speeds up, respiration becomes erratic, and brain activity increases. Here the peak of the story goes hand in hand with the effects of R.E.M. sleep. At the end of the dream, Goodman Brown screams Faith, Faith! Look up heaven, and resist the wicked one (881). How ironic that screams awaken us from nightmares. Some people have also been able to awaken themselves from a nightmare. Usually they are confused, chilled, and sweaty, the next morning young Goodman Brown came slowly into the street of Salem Village, staring around him like a bewildered man(881) Going along with this train of thought it is not against verisimilitude to assume that he could have been sleep walking or might have fallen asleep against a tree in the forest. A lot of people experience this when sleeping through a nightmare.

The ambiguous use of words is well documented in this story. Let us look at the word dream. The first mention of the word dream comes from Faith, a lone woman is troubled with such dreams and such thoughts that shes afeared of herself sometimes (874). Then Goodman Brown states She talks of dreams, too. Methought as she spoke there was trouble in her face, as if a dream had warned her what work is to be done to-night(874). During the communion of their race, a play on words is also used with dream. For the figure before them says, Depending upon one anothers hearts, ye had still hoped that virtue were not all a dream. Now are ye undeceived (880). During the length of Hawthornes story the word dream appears many times. This puts the question to the reader in which the author also asks out loud, Had Goodman Brown fallen asleep in the forest and only dreamed a wild dream of a witch-meeting? (881). Be it so if you will; but alas! It was a dream of evil omen for young Goodman Brown. A stern, a sad, a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a desperate man did he become from the night of that fearful dream (881).

In conclusion not only was this a dream, but a nightmare. For Goodman Brown came face to face with his own evil. He denied his human part of himself which in turn took his life from his soul. Goodman Brown is so deeply affected by this dream that he sees his townsmen and wife as fallen from grace. He is the only one that resisted the temptation and has no forgiveness for others. There they carved no hopeful verse upon his tombstone, for his dying hour was gloom (881).