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  • Essay / Nathaniel Hawthorne against the world: opposition of societal ideals in the author's works

    Nathanial Hawthorne, in the two different but morally similar stories, "Young Goodman Brown" and "Artist of the Beautiful", displays his opinions on dominant trends. doctrines of society. Hawthorne expresses that the protagonists in each of the stories struggle to succeed within their emotional and social identities as they choose unconventional paths within their societies. Although Brown and Owen are able to succeed individually by pursuing their own ideals, they fail in the eyes of the societies around them. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original EssayThe society of “Young Goodman Brown” strictly follows the rules and principles of his religion. To become an honorable Puritan, one must always distrust oneself and others (4). The entire community adheres to this Puritan doctrine, which requires each person to have a conversion experience in which they recognize their faults and interior sins. Brown, a Puritan awaiting formal adherence to the religion, begins his trial over the conversion experience. As a Puritan, Brown must recognize his unworthiness before God's grace and constantly reexamine himself to ensure that his sins are not forgotten (1). If Brown becomes a Puritan member, he will join the rest of his society in living according to Puritan doctrine. Similar to Brown, Owen Warland exists in a society that adheres to the ideals of a specific doctrine. Throughout his career, Owen was the subject of skepticism and scorn due to his efforts to create an interpretation of Beauty. His passion for creating Beauty interferes with his life in a society completely dominated by the utilitarian lifestyle. The utilitarian society follows the ideal that all men strive to produce goods that serve a useful purpose in daily life. The utilitarian doctrine is so widely accepted in Owen's society that even his family hopes "that his strange ingenuity may thus be regulated and used for utilitarian purposes" (361). Robert Danforth, blacksmith of the community of Owen, is a direct symbol of the utilitarian doctrine. As a blacksmith, he produces many useful goods, unlike Owen, who struggles to complete his only invention. Because of the products Robert consistently produces, society sees the product of his labor and therefore values ​​his utilitarian lifestyle much more than Owen's lifestyle of creating platonic beauty. Throughout Brown's journey, he expresses his hesitance to embark on his encounter with the devil. At the beginning of the conversion experience, Brown is very ashamed to continue into the forest, in which "'the devil himself should be at [his] elbow!' » (27). Brown is afraid that someone might spot him interacting with the devil, showing his shame for continuing his conversion experience. Despite all these worries, he continues his puritanical journey to find the Satan within him. However, as Brown reaches the finale of his conversion experience and prepares to become an official Puritan, he cannot accept the Puritan belief that man is always evil. His wife, Faith, is the influence within Brown that keeps him clean from the devil. The innocent pink ribbons she wears, along with her spiritual name, symbolize her purity. However, at the end of Brown's conversion experience, he is shocked to see that Faith is interacting with the devil because he sees her as the purest person in society. Nevertheless, Brown resists Satan despite his love for the faith, and he escapes the conversion experience. Although Brown is not.