Introduction
Both Nathaniel Hawthorne and Joyce Carol Oates are arguably among the foremost American authors. Born a century apart, they created individually influential bodies of work in response to the historical and sociocultural contexts in which they lived. The juxtaposition of Hawthorne and Oates—Puritanical New England in the mid-1800s and contemporary America—may initially seem incongruent, but the disparities in their times and their craft do not abnegate the kaleidoscopic thematic and narrative continuities analogous in their prose. With roots in such a zealous faith, it stands to reason that Hawthorne purveyed two general views about human nature: one, as a tergiversative wanderer, one’s impermanence and obfuscated identity presents an imminent danger to both self and society; two, as a faithful retainer of moral law. The first view appears more often in Hawthorne’s letters and his short stories, and can certainly be witnessed in “Young Goodman Brown.”
In her own exploration of American dynamicism, Joyce Carol Oates’s subject matter is heavily steeped in sociology and psychology, particularly conceptions of perception, selfhood, and the human creature’s relationship with public opinion—the construct of self-identity in relation to social environments. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” is a perfect harbinger for Oates’s American themes. A high school adolescent in the 1960s, Connie’s idolization of and identity in popular culture is stolen as she is abducted from her home by a man consuming not because of human bands, but rather because of tradition and to fulfill a sadomasochistic release. Mores influence society as a clique, rumors influence public opinion. In a country where time can collapse upon choice, identity sacrifice seems more than a societal inclination; rather, it’s viewed as an inevitability, an automatic and natural rite without which society could not survive—the “Before” of “Where Are You Going.” It is the cult of society and time. This oscillation in meaning was usefully ambiguous and directed to Americans, Oates’s intended audience. Despite its seemingly perennial stock, the short story’s social investment is what allows it to withstand the march of time: subordinating one’s identity is not only a choice in the individualistic market ethos of the United States, but a domesticated function.
Save your time!
We can take care of your essay
- Proper editing and formatting
- Free revision, title page, and bibliography
- Flexible prices and money-back guarantee
Summary and Themes of Young Goodman Brown
In 'Young Goodman Brown', the story chronicles the moral and psychological development of its protagonist, Young Goodman Brown, centering on his travels into the mysterious and dangerous wilderness. As the story begins, Goodman goes to a meeting in the forest, and he meets several mysterious people who deepen the main conflict that is building. Running through the course of this narrative is a central event in which Goodman ventures into the forest with a companion who challenges his reasons for doing so. It is this crucial turn of plot—a literary form associated with customarily dramatic interests in reversal and recognition—that lends greater structure and significance to the moral direction of the story.
From first to last, Goodman has been portrayed as a pious Christian husband of great moral probity. Such functions on his behalf, however, have purportedly reflected the great conflict of coming face to face with evil. The story works its principal thematic terms out in relation to Young Goodman Brown's internal struggle with dark temptation and malevolence. Central themes include the painful knowledge of one’s own mortality and the presence of evil in the world, along with the light of God and its acceptance of those things beyond human comprehension. Moreover, thematically, Young Goodman Brown has been read in terms of its commentary on human nature and innocence, and the destructive power of malevolent evil upon human beings. Furthermore, the narrative enacts a commentary on the expectations of human goodness in unforgiving societies.
In addition to its treatment of guilt and evil, the narrative presents a rich moral story that displays Young Goodman Brown. The story, however, retains a suggestive dynamic of connections and associations. For example, the allegorical figures for good youth and moral light and evil darkness shadowing a character’s presence and essence serve to connect the problems of Young Goodman Brown's internal substance to the philosophical moral dimensions of the tale’s concomitant plot. Consequently, in order to understand the deeper meaning of the story, one must pay careful attention to recurring themes and symbols. At the dawn of the nineteenth century, traditional figures of good and evil would have shored convictions merely by making a single appearance. Young Goodman Brown, as a story, should expect a clear structure of moral opposition and contestation. The tale’s consistent adumbration of intertwining values, both conflicting and consonant, brings questions of allegory into a new, dynamic focus.
Summary and Themes of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been
A modern classic, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been," was first published in the fall 1966 edition of a literary publication. The short story was inspired by three Tucson, Arizona murders committed by a nurse, which fascinated the nation. The story revolves around fifteen-year-old Connie, a romantic dreamer who is wrestling with her emerging sexuality. In the process, she vacillates between desiring adult sexual attractions and clinging to the safety of childhood innocence. Two worlds—one of girlish dreams and another of masculine objectification—conjure the central narrative of the story, which ends with the lure of external freedom being arbitrated by the desire for protective in-town safety.
Connie is representative of untamed adolescents who rebel against familial obligations and societal values. Like many adolescents, she is in a period of self-doubt and self-discovery. Her developing sexuality is a threat to her mother’s fragile hold on reality and to her father’s moral standards. She wants her parents to see her for who she believes she is: older and ready to face the challenges of adult life. Society can adversely shape adolescent development, as seen in events like "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been." Both parents and social systems rigidly define adolescence. Stereotypical obligations can warp individual development, pushing teenagers to embrace harmful stereotypes. Like Arnold, societal pressures can urge teenagers to quickly grow older and become more "flexible," forcing them to act in disingenuous, inauthentic ways. Arnold Friend's persuasive nature is particularly vivid to modern readers. Liberal sexologists maintain no man is safe because, due to societal pressure, all are predisposed to impede a woman's individual development, teaching her that sex appeal is the most important part of her being. All men coercively socialize narrow definitions of beauty, womanhood, or feminine behavior in teens, transforming personality into appearance and reductive categories. Arnold's persuasive nature is symbolic; he both embodies and perpetuates harmful stereotypes.
Character Analysis and Symbolism in the Two Stories
Goodman Brown lives in the world of Puritan America, which allows us to doubt his sanity at the very beginning. He not only jeopardizes his soul but goes back to stare at the minister and Deacon Gookin when Brown is shocked to find them in the forest. A comparative analysis of these two characters’ passages in their respective forest and town journeys also reflects that the two authors are trying to expose a flirtatious contradiction in youth resembling the blending of two hymns. Goodman Brown, Laura, and Faith seem to be undergoing moral and psychological distress, struggling to indicate two different worlds. Arnold Friend is personified as the presence of the outside world, the adult world, and the enemy every teenager wants to escape from.
This duality of distress in every child, especially a youth, is indicated by both authors. The luring characters, though in separate cover-ups, symbolize the hurdles and forces that deviate people from the real track of life. In Brown’s story, the setting of the story has particular relevance; the developing country mind is symbolized by the colonial village and forest, which are very misty and esoteric. The associations of star-worshippers, alchemists, witches, Indian powwows, and the Sabbath are particularly associated with these forests. In the other story, Arnold Friend is another character who seems to be the devil, or at least he behaves like one. He comes for Collie, and he represents corruption and evil. His automobile, an extension of himself, is decorated threateningly with flowers and mane. He seems to symbolize the beast, and his hidden carvings on the side refer to the biblical devil. As a result, these two symbols help to underscore the theme of being fiction in nature. The two writers have used different contexts, stereotypes, and other symbols. The authors have tried to exploit the symbolic dimensions of the central characters in both stories to universalize their thematic content, which has made the young generation very ominous figures of universal victimization. The perusal of psychoanalysis of the characters concerning the objective of the narrations entails that they are the chief architects of their destruction. Hence, the psyche of the characters, their motivation, desire, interest, and aspiration echo the moral arc of the two narratives.
Comparative Analysis of Themes and Literary Techniques
In this section, the focus is to draw a comparative analysis of the themes and different literary techniques used by the two authors and link the earlier discussions with the main theme of this section. The reason is to compare the narrative styles of the two authors and to deepen the reader's understanding of the content and the aspects of redemption and morality to which the authors engage, which is substantiated by presenting relatively simple techniques that meticulously clarify the moral dilemmas. The aim is to show the importance of both stories in the universal discourse about the human experience.
One of the most striking similarities between the two stories is related to their main existential themes. The story appears in Young Goodman Brown, and the ambiguous conduit of faith triggers a crisis. Both of the main characters in both stories show hubris and invincibility. Both characters are tainted by the understanding they need to have control over their identity and faith and believe that only they can hold their chosen view. Moreover, a deeper thematic connection between the two stories appears with an analysis of the two writers’ distinct narrative styles. One author narrates the story in a flat realist style, which is similar to social commentary. In contrast, the other uses detailed descriptions to foreshadow a controlled gothic tone to hint at evil. One sees her characters as manifestations of psychosis who are doomed, while the other writes of predestined characters who can do nothing to save themselves. Both stories use symbolism and deal with moral dilemmas, but the symbolism is used in very different ways.
Stuck on your essay?
