Alienation and Moral Dilemma as Portrayed by Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay

Alienation and Moral Dilemma as Portrayed by Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorn was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804 during Puritan times. He created many stories that reflect his life experiences growing up as a Puritan. He writes stories that end with a moral that was learned through the struggles of the records. These characters are almost always faced with a dilemma where they must choose what is right versus what is wrong. some other common theme in his writing is alienation. These concepts can be found in the stories Young Goodman Brown, The Ministers Black Veil, and The Birth Mark. They are in all about a life altering decision one must face and the consequences of that decision. In Young Goodman Brown, the dilemma faced by the main character is about the strength of his faith in God and the trust he losses for his wife and community. In The Ministers Black Veil, a subgenus Pastor is struggling with his own sins and his fear of them being revealed to his co ngregation. Finally, in The Birth Mark, the main character becomes obsessed with a slight physical flaw on wifes face an obsession that ultimately leads to the destruction the thing he cherished most dearly. The story, Young Goodman Brown, is about a man named Goodman Brown who must leave his wife Faith to go on a fateful journey a journey whose reason is left to speculation. He must go into the local forest, refuse the temptations of the devil, and return to the village before sunrise. He embarks on this journey and returns a changed man for the evils he encountered made him lose his faith in the community around him. The decision or struggle that Brown is faced with in the story is between the evil temptations that lurk in the fore... ...l E., The Consequences of Puritan sin and Distrustas Historical Context for Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown, www.itech.fgcu.edu, http//itech.fgcu.edu/faculty/wohlpart/alra/Hawthorne.htmMota, Joshua, The Ministers Black Veil, www.ri.net, htt p//www.ri.net/schools/Pawtucket/Tolman/ODonnell/MOTAWEB/veil.htmlReuban, Paul P, PAL Perspectives in American Literature A Research and wing Guide An Ongoing Online Project, www.csustan.edu, http//www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap3/hawthorne.htmlSharpe, Lynda, The Birth-mark by Nathaniel Hawthorne, www.vcu.edu, http//www.vcu.edu/engweb/eng491/bm-base.htmShoemaker ,Jacqueline, Hawthornes Realm of Morality Biographical Contexts for Young Goodman Brown, www.itech.fgcu.edu, http//itech.fgcu.edu/faculty/wohlpart/alra/Hawthorne.htmhttp//ipl.org/http//www.wwnorton.com