Name：Tai Xiong Comment by Microsoft Office User: This is not a correct MLA heading. Class: English 101 Date: October 4, 2019 Judgment and Faith in “‘Young Goodman Brown”’ The concept of religion, faith, and judgement have long been a part of the literary canon, and. aA good example of literature that deals with these themes is Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story ‘Young Goodman Brown’ (1835). The story follows the life and journey of a young Goodman Brown as he encounters ideas that go against his own understanding of what faith and religion is. Hawthorne makes two very strong points in his story: the first is the deceit of the so-called religious people, and the second is the judgment put upon people who are supposed to be on the wrong path by those who believe themselves to be in the right. To drive this point home Hawthorne The text frequently puts two opposing ideas together in his story to create confusion and doubt in the reader’s minds and so that they could make up their own minds about these concepts. Hawthorne “Young Goodman Brown” presents a strong contrast for the ideas of faith and judgement which are closely linked as those who have faith often judge those who seem to deviate from their version of faith as devil-worshippers and evil-doers. Comment by Microsoft Office User: Beware arguing authorial intent. Say something along the lines “The text makes two very strong points:” thereby taking Hawthorne out of the equation. It is impossible to argue what someone meant to do when writing the piece unless you are that person, so carefully wording arguments to focus on the text help to make your argument one you can support via the text alone. Comment by Microsoft Office User: Avoid phrases that are too colloquial. Comment by Microsoft Office User: These two sentences are somewhat repetitive of each other, so I would suggest combining the ideas in both to create a much stronger thesis sentence. Also, you need to grapple more with the “so what” of the thesis. Your larger idea is that there are two opposing ideas within the text that leaves the readers able to make up their own minds about the ideas; however, you never introduce an argument about why readers should care about this argument. How should this make readers think about their lives and their world in a different light? This “so what” introduced in the thesis will then be fleshed out within your conclusion paragraph. Comment by Microsoft Office User: Part 1 of your thesis: there are two opposing ideas at war with each other within the text (the judgement of those who see themselves on the righteous path vs. those righteous people only appearing righteous. Comment by Microsoft Office User: The waring ideas allows for readers to come to their own conclusions regarding these ideas. Goodman Brown represents the innocence and naiveté of youth and how quick they are to judge. The beginning of the story shows Goodman Brown as a youth who is just starting out in adulthood and he has ...

1. Name：Tai Xiong Comment by Microsoft Office User: This is
not a correct MLA heading.
Class: English 101
Date: October 4, 2019
Judgment and Faith in “‘Young Goodman Brown”’
The concept of religion, faith, and judgement have long been a
part of the literary canon, and. aA good example of literature
that deals with these themes is Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short
story ‘Young Goodman Brown’ (1835). The story follows the
life and journey of a young Goodman Brown as he encounters
ideas that go against his own understanding of what faith and
religion is. Hawthorne makes two very strong points in his
story: the first is the deceit of the so-called religious people,
and the second is the judgment put upon people who are
supposed to be on the wrong path by those who believe
themselves to be in the right. To drive this point home
Hawthorne The text frequently puts two opposing ideas together
in his story to create confusion and doubt in the reader’s minds
and so that they could make up their own minds about these
concepts. Hawthorne “Young Goodman Brown” presents a
strong contrast for the ideas of faith and judgement which are
closely linked as those who have faith often judge those who
seem to deviate from their version of faith as devil-worshippers
and evil-doers. Comment by Microsoft Office User: Beware
arguing authorial intent. Say something along the lines “The
text makes two very strong points:” thereby taking Hawthorne
out of the equation. It is impossible to argue what someone
meant to do when writing the piece unless you are that person,
so carefully wording arguments to focus on the text help to
make your argument one you can support via the text alone.
Comment by Microsoft Office User: Avoid phrases that are
too colloquial. Comment by Microsoft Office User: These two
sentences are somewhat repetitive of each other, so I would
suggest combining the ideas in both to create a much stronger

2. thesis sentence.
Also, you need to grapple more with the “so what” of the thesis.
Your larger idea is that there are two opposing ideas within the
text that leaves the readers able to make up their own minds
about the ideas; however, you never introduce an argument
about why readers should care about this argument. How should
this make readers think about their lives and their world in a
different light? This “so what” introduced in the thesis will then
be fleshed out within your conclusion paragraph. Comment by
Microsoft Office User: Part 1 of your thesis: there are two
opposing ideas at war with each other within the text (the
judgement of those who see themselves on the righteous path
vs. those righteous people only appearing righteous.
Comment by Microsoft Office User: The waring ideas
allows for readers to come to their own conclusions regarding
these ideas.
Goodman Brown represents the innocence and naiveté of youth
and how quick they are to judge. The beginning of the story
shows Goodman Brown as a youth who is just starting out in
adulthood and he has many innocent ideas and views about
others. However, as he begins his journey into the dark night
with the devil, he comes across many people he had believed to
be good Christians, but who are seemingly proceeding for a
gathering of the devil himself. Thus, Brown begins to
understand more deeply the people around him and the truth of
their hearts. Brown’s judgement about people being good and
faithful changes as he is very quick in now judging these same
people as devil-worshippers and evil-doers, and no longer
respects or loves them as he used to. Thus, his judgement had a
deep impact on his behaviour and thinking. ‘“"Friend,’" said he,
stubbornly, ‘"my mind is made up. Not another step will I budge
on this errand. What if a wretched old woman do choose to go
to the devil when I thought she was going to heaven: is that any
reason why I should quit my dear Faith and go after her?"’”
(Hawthorne 225-26). As is apparent from these lines from the

3. story, Brown has made up his mind not just that he would not
lose his faith, but also that the woman he had thought to be a
goodf Christian is in fact a wretched person doomed for the hell
fires. Brown is shown to be a judgemental person who quickly
judges others for their supposed misdeed even though he
himself is on a journey with the devil. Therefore, the point that
the narrator makes is everyone believes themselves to be good
Christians and people of faith. but they are quick to label others
as wicked while disregarding their own actions and behaviours
completely. Comment by Microsoft Office User: This
paragraph deals with the personification of Goodman Brown.
Comment by Microsoft Office User: Make sure to
introduce quotes in your own words so that readers know the
context of the quote as well as the types of ideas they should be
focusing on when reading the lines to better aid in your
argument. Comment by Microsoft Office User: When you are
quoting within a quote you use apostrophes for the interior
quote and quotation marks for the overall quote.
Hawthorne presents the ideas of faith and religion as deep
illusions that cloud people’s judgment. On the surface,
Hawthorne’s the short story might seem like a critique on
people who are bad Christians, but on a closer inspection it
seems like Hawthorne it is actually criticizing people who judge
others to be bad Christians basing their opinions on of their own
supposed piety. So, he the text presents religion and faith as a
force which, if taken to the extreme, actually hurts and clouds
people’s judgement more than clearing up their path and vision.
‘“"With heaven above and Faith below, I will yet stand firm
against the devil!’" cried Goodman Brown. While he still gazed
upward into the deep arch of the firmament and had lifted his
hands to pray, a cloud, though no wind was stirring, hurried
across the zenith and hid the brightening stars.” (Hawthorne
227). These lines clearly illustrate how Hawthorne the text
presents the proclamation of faith as a cloud of doubt that hides
the horizon. Thus, Hawthorne the short story makes it clear that
faith and religion can only clear one’s vision if it is without

4. criticism and resentment for others who believe differently.
Comment by Microsoft Office User: As I mentioned above,
careful of authorial intent. You don’t have any in your first
body paragraph, but you do a few times in this one. Comment by
Microsoft Office User: This topic sentence lacks a transition
word/phrase. Comment by Microsoft Office User: This
paragraph is dealing with symbolism. Comment by Microsoft
Office User: This is a really great point! Comment by Microsoft
Office User: Make sure to introduce quotes in your own words
so that readers know the context of the quote as well as the
types of ideas they should be focusing on when reading the lines
to better aid in your argument. Comment by Microsoft Office
User: When you are quoting within a quote you use apostrophes
for the interior quote and quotation marks for the overall quote.
Fear becomes an integral part of people of faith as they
continually worry about losing it. The contrast of judgment,
faith, and fear that Hawthorne presents culminates in a tragic
ending of the story. In the beginning, we see Brown as a
hopeful young person, but in the end he dies a sad old man,
never really able to love anyone as he judged them too harshly
in his mind and feared that he too would lose his faith if he
interacted with them too much. Even his own wife is no
exception for his poor treatment. The final paragraph of the
story is a deep commentary on people of faith as Brown himself
has become that man of sin he had feared all his life others of
being. “A stern, a sad, a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a
desperate man did he become …holy psalm, he could not listen
because an anthem of sin rushed loudly upon his ear and
drowned all the blessed strain…” (Hawthorne 231). Here
Hawthorne shows how Brown’s fear overcomes his love and he
becomes a sad man and again he shows how he pulls away from
the people who loved him and the people of his community …
“at morning or eventide, when the family knelt down at prayer,
he scowled and muttered to himself, and gazed sternly at his
wife, and turned away. And when he had lived long, and was
borne to his grave a hoary corpse…they carved no hopeful verse

5. upon his tombstone, for his dying hour was gloom.” (Hawthorne
231). These lines are extremely important as they reveal that the
true measure of faith is to live in communion with others and
love them and be merry with them. but Brown’s harsh
judgement prevent him from doing anything that joined him
together with others rather he lives an isolated life and dies in
the same sad solitude. Comment by Microsoft Office User:
This topic sentence lacks a transition word/phrase. Comment by
Microsoft Office User: Not quite sure how this topic sentence
connects directly to your thesis statement. Comment by
Microsoft Office User: Beware authorial intent Comment by
Microsoft Office User: Avoid first person pronouns in essays-
too colloquial. Comment by Microsoft Office User: The syntax
here makes it difficult for me to understand what you are trying
to say. Comment by Microsoft Office User: Make sure to
introduce quotes in your own words so that readers know the
context of the quote as well as the types of ideas they should be
focusing on when reading the lines to better aid in your
argument.
Comment by Microsoft Office User: The narrator- make
sure not to conflate the author and the narrator, they are two
very different forces in the text. Comment by Microsoft
Office User: Vague “he” Comment by Microsoft Office User:
Make sure to introduce quotes in your own words so that
readers know the context of the quote as well as the types of
ideas they should be focusing on when reading the lines to
better aid in your argument.
Comment by Microsoft Office User: Based on the way
your argument builds, you second body paragraph and first body
paragraphs should be flipped. Your second body paragraph
focuses on the themes overall, while body paragraphs 1 and 3
deal directly with Young Goodman Brown and clearly build off
of one another.
In conclusion, the narrator presents a deep reflection on the
ideas of faith and judgement. He shows how people can isolate
themselves from fear of doubt. He shows that the best way to

6. live a life is to be together with others instead of creating
separation and division based on illusory ideas of evil, sin, and
the devil as faith and disbelief are simply two sides of the same
coin and both equally important for a fair understanding of the
complete picture of life. Comment by Microsoft Office User:
Yes; however, so what? Your conclusion paragraph is simply
summarizing your argument (which has already been stated
throughout the paper) when it should be arguing why that
argument should matter to the reader. As stated in the rubric, a
perfect thesis “goes beyond simply summarizing the rest of the
paper to expand on the larger importance of the topic (alludes to
a possible answer to the question ‘so what?’)”
Works Cited
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown." n.d. 221-232.