The Internal Coflicts of Young Goodman Brown
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THE INTERNAL COFLICTS OF YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN
In Young Goodman Brown the theme is not only centered on religious hypocrisy (falsely claiming to have certain religious morals) but also on the internal conflicts of Young Good Man Brown. A basic rundown of the story is that one fateful evening Young Good Man Brown decides to attend a meeting of the black Sabbath. On the way there he come across various people who are also on there way there .These include the devil, Goody Cloys (his catechism teacher), deacon Gookin and the local minister. At the ceremony as he is initiated into the group he sees his wife who is also a convert .He has a sudden change of heart and blacks out after telling his wife to forsake the path she was turning down. The next day he finds himself in Salem town wondering whether it was all a dream or an event that actually occurs .Eventually Young Good Man Brown dies a gloomy and bitter man as there are none he can trust seeing an s his trust had been so blatantly betrayed earlier on in his life.
The first sign of internal conflict between good and evil or rather good and curiosity in Young Good Man Brown .I say curiosity because there is the possibility that Young Good Man Brown attended the mass because he wanted to see how it was and what it was all about. As he leave shies wife Faith he is probably thinking Ill do this one wrong deed then be perfect for the rest of my life; Perfect enough he that he says “after this one night Ill cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven” (211)He is so convinced of her holiness he is using her as his guide to heaven. On his way to his rendezvous he begins to doubt the path he is going down. “As he was walking into the forest I think it symbolic of how his soul is getting darker as the light of goodness fade away from his soul and the Indian behind the trees are the temptations in his life that are out to get him.” says Owatas (website 1) Young Good Man Brown even doubts his next course f action but as soon as he meets up with the devil his fate is sealed.
he moves on while conversing with the devil and he finds out the first surprising thing of his eventful night .The devils informs Young Good Man Brown that his father and grand father have been involved in evil deeds such as dragging a woman through the streets and setting fire to an Indian village. Their conversation is interrupted by another character in the tale and that is Goody Cloys who happened to be Young Good Man Browns catechism teacher in his childhood so therefore she is a religious figure. (Goody Cloys is based on an actual person tried during the Salem witch trail around the same time Young Good Man Brown) .try imagines what goes through his minds as he listens to the conversation between the two.
“the devil screamed the pious old lady
Then Goody Cloys knows her old friend? observed the traveler confronting her and leaning on his writhing stick.
Ah forsooth, and it is your worship indeed? cried the good dame.Yea truly is it, and in the very image of my old gossip, Goodman Brown, the grandfather of this silly fellow that now is. but-would your worship believe it -my broomstick hath strangely disappeared, stolen as I suspect by that unhanged witch, Goody Cory, and that too ,when I was all anointed with the juice of smallage ,and cinquefoil, and wolfs bane-
Mingled with fine wheat and the fat of a new born babe, said the shape of old Goodman brown
ah so your worship knows the recipe, cried the old lady, cackling aloud, so as I was saying, being all ready for the meeting, and no horse to ride on I made up, y mind to foot it; for they tell me there is a nice young man to be taken into communion tonight .but now your worship will lend me your arm and well be there in a twinkling.”(214)Evidently we can see that goody cloys was an old acquaintance of the devil she even asks him for help to attend the travesty of the catholic mass .Also just before he turned aside and hid in the nearby rush he took care to watch his traveling companion and this demonstrates that Young Good Man Brown did not trust the devil and was worried for his teacher. Evidently he did not guess the old womans agenda in the forest at the ungodly hour. He must have been totally shocked on hearing her conversation with the devil. A recipe for witches and the communion of a young man who was evidently him!
After goody cloys was given the devils stick (earlier featured in the bible as one of the sticks that turned into a snake for the Egyptian priests as Moses fought for his peoples freedom) and she disappeared young Goodman brown says “that old woman taught me my catchesim”and