Hamby 1 Sarah Hamby Mrs.

Burke English 12 Period 5 25 April 2012

A Walk with the Devil Hawthorne is known for his use of realism styling for his literature. He often focused on the dual-meaning of realistic appearances and made them have a deeper, more genuine implication. In his story, Young Goodman Brown, he uses many different techniques to accomplish the theme of realism. Realism is achieved by the ordinariness, or normality, of the details of the opening scene, the ambiguous setting details surrounding Goodman Browns experiences in the forest, the realistic details of the solitude of the forest, and the influences his experiences have on his later life. In the opening scene, a man known as Goodman Brown tell his wife Faith goodbye, and the newlyweds exchange a parting kiss (330). This loving moment is the perfect ideal scene that readers can connect to and feel the authenticity in this event. Faith does not want her husband to leave. She pleads for him to put off [his] journey until sunrise, and sleep in [his] own bed (330). The couples conversation seems simple and realistic but then turns distressed as Faith is apprehensive about her husbands loyalty. Faith speculates that Goodman plans to cheat on her while on his journey. If he was ever to cheat on her it would be for one night and

Hamby 2 one night only. He tells her has been faithful to her all nights of the year and will continue on his journey as planned (330). They have only been married three months, so if she doubts him now, what will their relationship be like later in life? Their joking expressions give the reader a sense of reality as they relate to the playfulness of this everyday conversation. Goodman Brown begins to feel guilty about the idea of sinning and being unfaithful to his wife, but he continues on an allegorically, deliberately sinning journey. Hawthorne achieves the idea of realism in the opening scene by the routine conversation of the newlyweds saying their goodbyes before Goodman Brown embarks on his journey into the forest that changes his outlook on life. Another way realism is achieved by Hawthorne is through his setting details that surround Goodman Browns experiences in the story. As he makes his way into the forest, the setting becomes more meaningful to his tale and marks the beginning of ambiguous setting details. The story begins in the seventeenth century Boston in an area which used to be known as Salem Village. By giving the reader a nonfiction location, Hawthorne presents the first realistic setting detail and the realism advances from there. Historically, this town was involved in the Salem witch trials, bringing the idea of witchcraft and deviltry to the reader. The village in which the story takes place has an allegorical meaning as well as the forest Brown travels to on his quest, which the reader does not know the true purpose yet. The village represents all that is good in society and organized civilization, but also the isolation and intolerance of the village people. Since the village means rules and obeying, then the forest must mean sin and freedom. For the most part, Goodmans story takes place in the old heathen forest that houses darkness (334). The deeper Goodman gets into the thick forest, the darker the forest becomes, and the deeper the ambiguity grows, giving an ominous feeling to the air. Traveling down the path he approaches a crook in the road that obscures his vision, making him scared of the possibility of

Hamby 3 nearby Indians. Hawthorne describes the deep dusk Goodman has entered as a detail that has obstructed the young mans vision (331). Now, he can no longer see his village or the objects surrounding him, creating an uncertainty to the situation. Supernatural events start occurring as Goodman travels further, such as the appearance of the mysterious man. The reader knows nothing about this ambiguous man and where he came from. He seems to know Goodman and even states that he is late, proving his fast travel to be supernatural without modern day transportation. The mans appearance and his demeanor soon reveal his identity as the devil to the reader. Dressed in dark clothing, similar to the forests darkness, he carries with him a staff that Goodman mistakes for a great black snake (331). Hawthorne tries to achieve realism by creating a difference between uncertainty, or this ocular deception, and reality (331). The male figure he meets is directly connected with evil by his appearance. His appearance is also puzzling because his is similar enough to Goodman to be his father. By offering Goodman his staff, he pulls him in to his trap, with hopes to corrupt him with sin. Before now, Goodman has not completely sinned. He has only left Faith, not cheated on her, but the journey is not over yet. As Goodman continues down the dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, he is overwhelmed with loneliness. Carefully walking to avoid disturbing concealed beings and objects, Goodman becomes as lonely as could be (331). He is far away from God and his wife, Faith, and travels further into the uncertainty of the forest with lonely footsteps and the peculiarity in such solitude. Young Goodman surmounts over his solitude after he crosses paths with the older traveler. They begin to talk about Browns own family; the devil says that he has met them. They have come to the forest in the past and conversed with him. He proceeds to point out other villagers, some with high social statuses and respectable positions in the church, who have also traveled deep into the dark forest just as Goodman has. The forest is a

Hamby 4 place for absolute solitude, and Goodman learns this the hard way. He is isolated from everything, Faith, God, and his village. All he has now is his travel companion, the devil who leads him deeper and deeper into sinful tendencies and further away from his religion and conscience. Literally, Darkness often brings loneliness, therefore, the dark forest that Goodman travels into causes him great solitude. Figuratively, the forest, representing sin, can be devastating to ones life and isolate them from their families, friends, and community. Therefore, the realistic details of solitude in the forest represent the deeper meaning of the relationship between sin and loneliness. Without Gods guidance, Goodman is lead to commit sin and evil actions and becomes a very lonely man. Goodman Brown goes into the forest as a youthful and childlike man. His nave and curious tendencies that most young people have is what drives him into the forest and abandon his wife and village. His curiosity leads him to evil but this was still his choice. After he meets the mysterious man who the reader later finds out is the devil, the devil shares with him some information that changes his entire outlook on life. Young Goodman Brown is surprised with the number of locals and Christians who have walked with evil in the forest. His knowledge of wickedness and the actuality of not being the only person, instead everybody, the churchgoers and village people, even Faith, his own wife, have fallen victims of sin. This causes him to lose his belief in the human race. As soon as innocence has vanished, one can never fully regain their purity and forget what they have learned. Goodman Brown embarked on his voyage an adolescent gentleman and departed with the death of his young at heart innocence. It is questionable if Goodmans event of trekking into the forest was real or not. Whether his expedition into the forest was just a dream or it was reality, it still had a lasting effect on him and his later life.

Hamby 5 In Young Goodman Brown, Hawthorne achieved realism by presenting the ordinary details of the opening scene, the ambiguous setting details surrounding Goodman Browns experiences in the forest, the realistic details of the solitude of the forest, and the influences his experiences have on his later life. The simple and nonchalant conversation between a husband and a wife makes the reader feel this is going to be a normal realistic story. As the story goes on, the ambiguous setting details give the reader an unease of mind as they start to question what is real and what is not. The actuality of loneliness in the forest brings the reader back to reality as they are forced to thing about the gritty loneliness Goodman is going through. Finally, the influences that his experience in the woods has on him has impacting effect on his life as he loses his childhood innocence and is forced into the adult world, or reality. Hawthorne marvelously achieved realism in this short story and gives evidence to what makes him a famous realist author.