Puritan Traits in Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown

One of the tenets of Romanticism is the rejection of the Christian concept of the original sin, which states that, since the ‘first humans’ “did not see fit to acknowledge God [as their Sovereign Lord], God gave them [and their descendants] over to a disapproved mental state, to do the things not fitting” (Romans 1:28). From a religious standpoint, all men are born imperfect and are condemned by God not only to bear, but also to resist throughout life those sinful tendencies. In accordance with this view, solicitous efforts must be exerted by parents—and, as an extension, society—to discipline and train children in the path of righteousness and godly devotion, preventing their imperfections from drifting them away from their Creator (Proverbs 22:6, 15). However, this religious conception was not widely favoured during the 19th century when the emerging movement known as Romanticism took its hold on Europe. According to Florian Esser in his book Reconceptualising Agency and Childhood, Romantics rejected the sheer idea that infants could be born in sin; from their perspective, children are characteristically “innocent, holy or divine beings… a form of existence that has not yet been deformed by society” (140). What strips children of their godlike qualities is the behavioural rules society imposes on them.

On the other side of the spectrum were writers such as Edgar Allan Poe, Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne who, in spite of being part of the American Romantic period, had a less optimistic opinion about the timbre of human nature. Just like Puritans argued that the law of sin wars against the good dispositions of the mind, Dark-Romantics—as these writers are nowadays referred to—understood that all men are both saints and sinners (Romans 7:15-23). Even when their rational minds and society itself incite them to be virtuous, they are spontaneously drawn towards iniquity, because sin dwells within their body, a congenital condition they cannot disengage themselves from. This baleful influence was not only thought to be present in humans, but in the natural world as well. In their stories, for example, nature is sometimes used as a physical representation of the struggles of the mind.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown contains all the characteristics of the Dark Romantic perspective, while being critical of the Puritan religion that had had ample influence in North America before his time. Hawthorne sets the story in Salem, a town that, not long before his time, had been the setting of the infamous Salem Witch Trials, fomented by the people’s boundless puritan zest. Their interpretation of the biblical scriptures had convinced them that they had been anointed by God to form a new nation that would be exemplary to the world in terms of piety and communal success. In the words of one of the Puritan leaders, John Winthrop, theirs would be “a city upon a hill.”

This city upon a hill is an allusion to the words pronounced by Jesus in the Evangelical book of Matthew chapter 5, verses 14 through 16, where he admonishes his disciples—who would later on found the Christian congregation—to let their “light shine before men” through their fine works. Therefore, Puritans, as their name depicted, eagerly sought pureness, or holiness, not only in their own lives, but also within the community they belonged to. They were eager to differentiate themselves from the demeanour of the Catholic religion, which they considered to be tinted with impiousness. Anyone who was not willing to conform their lives to their strict philosophy of life had to settle elsewhere. Moreover, those who appeared to have devilish traits were execrated and had to be rooted out of the congregation. Hawthorne, however, depicts a different kind of inhabitant of this apparently pious Salem.

Young Goodman Brown and Puritanism.

As the historical summit of Puritan towns, the reader would probably expect the Salem of the story to be composed by devout settlers; this first impression seems to be confirmed when we are introduced to the central figure of the romance, young Goodman Brown. Through the name of this character, Hawthorne lets us see that this story is, in fact, an allegory for something more profound. For Puritans, being a good soul was important, although not essential, for salvation. The Calvinist ideas Puritans adhered to state that God has already predetermined who has been elected to experience his deliverance and who will receive his condemnation. Therefore, it was faith in that anointment, and not works per se, that enabled the person to be embraced by God’s grace. Nevertheless, according to their Covenant of Works, it was of utmost importance that the person who had been chosen by God behaved righteously, as a Christian who followed Jesus’ model would (1 Peter 2:21). Good people were those who, in spite of their imperfections, strove to be disciplined, hardworking, and obedient to God’s law.

The protagonist of the story, then, gives the impression of being a good, virtuous man who happens to be married to a young woman called Faith, whom the narrator describes as being “aptly named”. This might be read as an indication that she not only embodies the definition of the Puritan woman who lives a morally upright life, but also that she is the vivid representation of and a symbol for something much broader: his religion. In that sense, his having been married for only three months would suggest that he has only recently experienced the conversion God’s elected were thought to go through at some point in their lives. The romance later on explains that Goodman had been taught the ways of the Puritan life throughout his childhood, which probably means that he had benefited from the Half-Way Covenant until he could forgo the conversion himself, as divine proof of his sainthood.

The “partying kiss” between the spouses shows that their marriage is a joyous one, even the ribbons Faith wears are described as pink, a colour that is commonly associated with happiness. And yet, feelings of sadness cover her face as her husband decides to embark on an overnight journey during a particular night of the year in which she wished he would stay at home. Some critics believe that this night the story refers to is Halloween, when supernatural creatures were thought to gather in public places to haunt the wanderers. Moreover, the fact that he begins his travels in the gloaming is an indication that what he is set to do cannot be done under the sun. However, 1 John 1:5 reads that “God is light, and there is no darkness at all in him”. One cannot help but wonder about his reasons for seeking this “evil purpose.” Since Goodman seems to love Faith, it is probably the case that he wants to feel one last moment of freedom from the inflexible rules of his religion before fully committing to it; if he managed to stand firm against all temptation, he would have palpable proof of his absolute love and devotion to the Church.

Unnecessarily exposing oneself to any evil purpose is not a venture the Bible encourages in the slightest. On the contrary, in 1 Corinthians 10:6 the apostle Paul exhorts the Corinthian congregation to beware of the inclination of their hearts; even though they were anointed Christians, they still had cause for caution. The ungodly behaviour of the Israelites, who had hankered for the immoral pleasures their neighbouring nations enjoyed and paid with their lives for going after them, would remind the Corinthians of the consequences of drifting away from God. That example has been documented in the Scriptures “in order for us not to desire injurious things;” no man should consider himself immune, everyone who “thinks he is standing—says Paul—beware that he does not fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). As a Puritan, Goodman ought to be fully conscious of the implications of his sinful condition. Unfortunately, his overconfidence blinds him to the risks of carelessly exposing himself to impiety. Moreover, he is convinced that his Faith, his religion, would no doubt accept him again for he is one of the ‘elected’. After that one night, he would “cling to [Faith’s] skirts and follow her to heaven.”

The inhabitants of wilderness

Into the darkness of the forest he goes, taking dreary roads, “darkened by all the gloomiest trees”, apparently, believing that he would only encounter “devilish indians” on his way. Since the neighbouring indigenous tribes did not have Christian beliefs and saw the settlers as invaders of their lands, both communities regarded each other with distaste and arousing hostility. Yet, it was not an Indian who Goodman encounters in the woods, but a man who looked just like an older version of young Goodman Brown. The most interesting feature about the appearance of this old man is the shaft he carries, which has the shape of a twisted snake, almost like a “living serpent.” As it is commonly known, the serpent is a creature that, in the book of Genesis, is used by Satan to bait Eve into eating a fruit that God had prohibited her to touch. This reptile has historically been used as a representation of the Devil himself, which hints the idea that this old man might be a malign influence or the Devil himself.

Aware of the evil nature of the person he mingles with, Goodman expresses that he has kept the covenant by attending the rendezvous as planned; meeting him in the woods and returning back unswayed is all he aims for. Unfortunately for him, the old man induces him to walk on, “reasoning as [they] go,” for he will attempt to convince Goodman of the benefits of going deeper into the darkness. With a distorted view of his own capabilities, Goodman accepts to go along, convinced that he will continue being a good and honest christian, “the first of the name of Brown” to ever take that path of treachery; he is completely unaware that he has been preceded by others of his kin (Isaiah 5:1).

This person mentions how he has helped Goodman’s relatives to commit fiendish acts in the name of religion: lashing a “Quaker woman through the streets” and setting “”fire to an Indian village, in the King Philip’s war”—both being historical occurrences Hawthorne alludes to. Although Puritans had escaped a religiously intolerant Europe, they did not welcome people with different sets of beliefs in their newly established colonies. Fearing that their community would be tainted by the beliefs of others, they banned Quakers from their puritan towns and hanged those who returned to them. Native North American tribes also struggled to come to terms with the new settlers as they tussled over the land, among other things. The wrangle between the belligerent parties went on for 55 year until its culmination in the Great Narragansett War (also known as the King Philip’s War) that began in 1675. As specified by the Encyclopedia Britannica, by 1676 the colonists “had destroyed much of the Native American opposition in southern New England, killing thousands of Native Americans and selling many into slavery and indentured servitude”. Those were the uprisings Goodman’s relatives, the Devil’s “good friends,” had participated in while hiding their corrupt dealings under a veneer of respectability, prayer and good works.

The devilish old man goes even further when he says that he has not only been acquainted with the Brown family, but with “ever a one among the Puritans”, the deacons, the priests and the governors of Salem were “firm supporters” of his interests as well. Owing to the fact that Puritans sought to abide every aspect of their lives to their understanding of the Bible, a strong bond between religion and political, social and cultural affairs was formed. The ministers of the church not only engaged in preaching sermons, they also became highly influential in public administration, while embracing with confidence the idea that God would guide and support his chosen nation throughout their journey on earth, just as he had done so in the past with the Israelites and the first-century Christian congregation. Those respectable and admired citizens who had the responsibility of encouraging others to remain under their God’s veil, had “drunk the communion wine” not with Jesus, as would be expected, but “with me,” says the Devil.

Another christian Goodman comes across with is a “pious and exemplary dame” of the village “who had taught him his catechism in youth, and was still his moral and spiritual adviser”. Critics believe that the name given to this dame, Goody Cloyse, is most probably a reference Hawthorne makes to Sarah Cloyse, a woman who had been wrongly accused of witchcraft during the Salem Trials. The Goody Cloyse from the story is said to have “singular speed for so aged a woman.” As if this was not peculiar, she also mumbles “some indistinct words” that the gullible Goodman presumes that is a prayer; viewers, however, may notice the use of the dramatic irony as they recall how “witches [were thought to use] words, in the form of commands to spirits or inescrutable muttering, in order to take their revenge on those who had wronged them” (Millar, 2017). To take things further and leave no room for doubt, Hawthorne inserts a piece of dialogue between her and the old man that clarifies their identities. Laying her eyes on the old man she screams “the devil!” and proceeds to refer to him as “your worship,” which leaves no question about the traveller being Satan, as well as the malicious intent of the woman he calls “old friend.”

Goodman then hears Goody Cloyse complain about her “broomstick [having] strangely disappeared, stolen… by that unhanged witch, Goody Cory.” The mention of Goody Cory, historians believe, typifies Martha Corey, a real-life puritan woman who, to the surprise of many that had “known [her] to be an eminently religious person, and very much given to acts of devotion” (Upham, 1867), was pronounced witch by a jury and was condemned to death in the gallows in 1692. Through a linkage with a real-life account, Hawthorne lends a faint air of verisimilitude to his story, suggesting that a witch by the name of Corey who had supposedly been hanged in Salem has actually survived by means of her occult powers. By the same token, the powers of darkness roam the streets of Goodman’s town beguiling naive people with their disguise. Having no broomstick to fly on, the witch Goody Cloyse reluctantly sets to go on foot to the meeting where a young man is to be “taken into communion” until he Devil lends Goody Cloyse his staff which can transport her at a faster pace.

To Goodman’s astonishment, the staff assumes life at their feet, “being one of the rods which its owner had formerly lent to the Egyptian magi”. This allusion to the Egyptian magi is taken from the biblical story that portrays Moses and his brother Aaron visiting the Egyptian Pharaoh to demand the Israelites’ immediate release from slavery. Manifesting the power of the God they represent, Aaron throws his rod at their feet, where it miraculously transforms into a living snake. Nonetheless, the wise-men, the sorcerers and the magic-practitioners of the Pharaoh’s court can also execute the same astounding prowess with their staves (Exodus 7:8-13). The mention that the old man’s staff is one of those the magi had employed to carry out their marvels, under diabolic influence, is another proof that he, the old traveller, is “the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth” (Revelation 12:9).

The congregation of sinners

By this time, Goodman feels gratified by the fact that he has held fast to his principles in spite of the lure to trespass. He may even feel like Jesus who, soon after his baptism, is “led into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil” and who courageously withstands the enticement to selfishly place his own interests before those of his Father (Matthew 4:11). It is there, in the wilderness, where Goodman perceives the sounds of familiar voices, people that belong to the village who have gathered in the woods for an assembly of crucial importance. Every nearby colony has been summoned and even the indians have turned up to see “a goodly young woman to be taken into communion.” Recognising “both saints and sinners” gathered side by side already gets Goodman in a fluster, but his bewilderment is but enhanced once he distinguishes that the lamentations and encouragements those people are uttering are addressed to the voice of a young woman who happens to be his wife.

Faith is spotted among the sinners and servants of the Devil, almost attesting how religion has, for centuries, taken part in godlessness by meddling in politics, swindling to boost its wealth, imposing unbiblical doctrines on the faithful, and executing those who dared defy its authority. Those acts that were present in the Catholic institution had been firmly condemned by Puritans at the time, while claiming that, by breaking away from the unbiblical Catholic practices and disjointing themselves from the unholy institution, they had sanctified their church, cleansing it from greediness and deceiving rites. However, Hawthorne openly shows that their acts did not mirror the holiness they professed, their honorable semblance only belied their defiled hearts (Matthew 15:18, 19). Losing all hope, he exclaims “My Faith is gone!” After all, if there is no piety in religion, then “there is no good on earth.” From a dark-romantic point of view, the reason why religious institutions show signs of being tarnished, in spite of the efforts put on cleansing them, is because of the condition of the human soul (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). As if God and the Devil were consorting together, there appears to be a coexistence of both good and evil in the heart of man that each individual has to recognise and accept. Hence why Goodman, with no faith to anchor him to his moral righteousness and preserve his integrity, finally allows himself to be suffused by the perversity within him. He loudly laughs with scorn, as if mirth no longer came from being good and repressing evilness, but of embrace the ineluctable viciousness immanent in all men.

Amidst the gloominess of the surroundings woodlands, burning pines enclose the congregation, illuminating their gathering with blazing flames. Despite being brightened by this hellish scenario, the meeting that is about to take place reminds us of a mass: there is a church choir singing hymns about sin and a pulpit where sermons will soon be preached by the Devil himself. Being the new convert, “Goodman Brown stepped forth… and approached the congregation, with whom he felt a loathful brotherhood by the sympathy of all that was wicked in his heart.” Once the Devil’s oration starts, he quickly divulges how everyone in the village, even the “holier” ones who were thought to lead irreproachable lives, had in some way or another committed a variety of dire sins throughout their lives. “Evil is the nature of mankind… your only happiness” says he. Happiness does not come to the “pure in heart”, as Jesus had assured his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount, but to those who acknowledge and indulge in their true nature, their destiny (Matthew 5:8). Sin is not an transgression to be eluded, but rather to be embraced as it is an inescapable condition that, according to the Puritan beliefs, God has imposed on men (Romans 5:12).

Most significantly, the Devil asserts that “the deep mystery of sin” is theirs to unfold, they could be “partakers of the mystery of sin, more conscious of the secret guilt of others” if only they got baptised there. This will inevitably reminds us of the the occurrences in the Garden of Eden where the serpent assures Eve that God had deprived her of a essential piece of knowledge that would considerably increase her happiness and improve her well-being. According to some Bible scholars, “the tree of the knowledge of good and bad symbolized the divine right or prerogative, which man’s Creator retains, to designate to his creatures what is “good” and what is “bad,” thereafter properly requiring the practice of that which is declared good and the abstention from that which is pronounced bad in order to remain approved by God as Sovereign Ruler.” The deep mystery of sin that the Devil refers to would probably mean both the awareness that sin has a place in every human being and also that sin does not necessarily need to be a burden, on the contrary, it is supposed to be our deliverance.

Flabbergasted by this discovery, Goodman asks his wife not to drink from the basin that would seal their baptism to wretchedness, he wants her to “resit the wicked one.” But “whether Faith obeyed he knew not” since the scene that was before him quickly dissolves into a dream. He finds himself “amid calm night and solitude” and there is no telling whether his Faith, his religion is now in communion with impiety or not. However, because of the way in which Goodman lives the rest of his days, we may assume that he suspects so. He becomes “a stern, a sad, darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a desperate man” who was convinced that his fellow Puritan neighbours were hypocrites and blasphemers.

Sin and solitude

The conclusion in which the main character goes on living a life of solitude until the day of his death is not strange to Hawthorne. According to some critics such as James Barbour in his book Romanticism: Critical Essays in American Literature, Hawthorne shows that “men necessarily sin; but they must be strictly accountable for their sins all the same” and, therefore, “human isolation [is] the penalty of transgression.” In his account of Hawthorne’s own solitary phases, journalist Paul More explains that solitude is not only a recurrent theme in all of the author’s writings, but, most importantly, it is “the one tragic calamity of mortal life, as the great primeval course of sin.” And, finally, as Gary Richard Thompson describes it in The Art of Authorial Presence: Hawthorne’s Provincial Tales, “the recognition of human error is redemptive; such recognition may lead to prideful isolation; that arrogant isolation is originary sin… that, paradoxically it may cause despair and isolation.”

Hawthorne’s views on the nature of man

Since Hawthorne was evidently intrigued by the state of humankind, he tried to show through his writings that, unlike what most Romantics of his time believed, humans are not inherently good. Society does play a crucial role in shaping a person’s character traits, estranging the child from his playfulness and innocence—characteristics that Romantics saw as divine traits—. Hawthorne, however, was convinced that people have forged society in the first place and if the end result is not as exemplary as it would have been expected, this necessarily occurs because each one of us have a tendency towards wickedness. According to the Bible, there is a part of us that is willing to please God and love our neighbours, but, due to our sin,  perfection is out of our reach. Not everyone, however, strives against their sinful ways, the majority of people go in through the broad gate and walk along the spacious road that leads them off into destruction (Matthew 7:13, 14). This means that since it is easier to indulge in sinfulness than to fight it, “out of their heart come wicked reasonings, murders, adulteries, sexual immorality, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies” that ultimately defile man (Matthew 15:19, 20). This choice affects their own existence and, in the grand scheme of things, that of their community, transforming it into a state of never-ending suffering and strife.

Not only are humans sinful, Dark-Romantics thought, they also delight in this dismal condition, having performed the most horrendous acts throughout the history of humanity. As Hawthorne was plainly aware of, the Salem Witch Trials were just one example, among other well-known cases, of religious extremism. After all, those who should have guided their followers into a deeper understanding of the Bible were in fact the ones who led them to their condemnation. They were just like the self-righteous Pharisees from Jesus’ time about whom it was prophesied “‘this people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far removed from me'” (Isaiah 29:13; Mark 7:6). Hawthorne then lets us know that this behaviour should not surprise us since religious institutions are not really divine organisations, but rather human constructs, thoroughly immersed in a rotten society, and, as a natural consequence, their fruit is nothing but debauched morality.

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