“The Bride Comes To Yellow Sky” by Stephen Crane gives us a depiction of the social dynamic of a small town which can be compared to the small town from “Young Goodman Brown” written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. To first understand the social dynamic, one needs to understand the story and who Jack Potter is. Jack Potter is the town marshal of Yellow Sky which is a little town that is in Texas. Being the town marshal, Jack Potter is a person who people look up to because he is an authority figure and also as someone who deals with the town’s conflicts that arise. Jack Potter is a newlywed who is bringing his wife along home and feels like a traitor to his own town because he got married without the affirmation of the town. Jack Potter feels like he had “committed an extraordinary crime” (29) in his own words which show that this isn’t a crime that happens every day and will leave a strong impression on the town. At this point, it is well understood since Jack Potter is an authority figure who is even feared at times still owes the town to be completely honestly and is comparable to religious figures who also hold an authoritarian figure in Nathaniel Hawthorne work. The main difference in how each author depict the social dynamic in their own story deals is how the characters are involved in the story. In Stephen Crane’s story, he is able to provide a typical day in the west due to involving the drummer whose unfamiliarity with Scratch Wilson, the town drunk who arms two revolvers which causes the reaction of the Mexican men to leave right away. The other men that are left are also familiar with the situation and are irritated with the drummer due to him asking questions. To the reader, based on the reaction of the people in the town, we are able to understand that this is a common occurrence that occurs and a certain routine will be taken to ensure their safety. Hawthorne uses religion and what it stands for to describe the small town actions and behavior. Crane uses a conflict to give insight while Hawthorne uses consequences of religion to drive home the point of loss of faith through deconstructing the people in the town and how they go on their day after they are exposed.

Hawthorne uses references of “evil” to help create a visual aid for readers within the climax of the story, when Goodman maddened with despair deep within the forest, to set the setting and mood of the story. Hawthorne described the forest to be “peopled with frightful sounds; the creaking of the trees, the howling of wild beasts, and the yell of Indians; while sometimes the wind tolled like a distant church-bell giving a broad roar around the traveler.” His description of the forest gave us a better understanding of the scenario Goodman is in. Goodman in a way was hurting himself by running further into the forest. Originally Goodman kept his faith, he was determined that the devil had no chance of turning him. However he began losing himself when the voices began taunting him. Out of desperation he looked up to the sky, doubting whether there really was a heaven above him. At this point Goodman lost sight to what was real or not. The evil within the forest finally managed to crack Goodman, and at any point he can completely give in and lose himself.

This sort of reminds me of McCandless death from “Into the Wild”. Not necessary for evil with supernatural events, but more about the evil and dangers of ones environment when desperate measures are taken. McCandless similar to Goodman, was put in a scenario were he questioned his ability to survive and his faith of a greater power. Because McCandless was starving, he was forced to eat wild berries that later turned out to be poisonous. However if he had waited just a couple more days with proper conservation of his supplies, McCandless might have survived. This reminds me of Goodman because, Goodman is at a point in the story were any decisions he makes might mean freedom from the devil or completely for fitting to evil. Goodman needs to push himself forward and maintain his faith even if it may seem as if he has ran out of corners to turn or places to hide.

“Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne presents us with the struggle against, and eventual relenting of a “good Christian” to evil. The author takes an interesting approach to the word “evil” not only figuratively but it is also used like an indication to the reader that this is where the rising action begins.  Our first encounter is when Goodman Brown mentions his “evil purpose,” which is immediately followed by a description of his surroundings; “He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest…” with just one sentenced the author turned our setting from a quiet village to a dark and mysterious one. It builds suspense because it gives the reader a feeling that anything can happen. Along that path the protagonist is continually tested, that action is rising and so is our suspense, Brown seems to know what he is heading towards but is hesitant to move forwards, yet the reader is still clueless as to where this story is heading. Then we reach something akin to a minor climax, “My Faith is gone!” here, Brown, refers to his wife named Faith, an interesting choice of naming, because it can also be interpreted as Brown losing his faith in God.

Then we have our second mention of the word evil, again followed by another depressing description of the woods, “The whole forest was peopled with frightful sounds… as if all Nature were laughing him to scorn.” Again more mystery and building of suspense followed by more rising action, him seeming to “fly” through the forest, again hesitant when he reaches his goal, again leaving the reader to wonder if Goodman Brown will resist the evil. This brings us to the actual climax in the story, “Faith! Faith! … Look up to Heaven, and resist the Wicked One!”  But we never get a clear explanation of what this evil is, but we still understand that it certainly is some incredible evil that Goodman Brown is dealing with; it is the lack of explanations that makes this evil so powerful that it affected Goodman Brown to the end of his days.

This unexplainable but powerful evil reminds me of the play “Othello” by William Shakespeare specifically Iago, a character that does incredibly evil things but we can never tell why. He seems to be evil for evils sake, but as readers there are no doubt that he is evil, just like we do not see anything explicitly evil about the congregation but we understand that it is.

In the story Young Goodman Brown, Hawthorne mentions the word evil at the end of the story where Goodman is at the ceremony. The devil is welcoming his new followers which Goodman and Faith, the way Hawthorne uses the word evil to create suspense is at the part when the devil said ” Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness. Welcome, again my children, to the communion of your race!” Also when Goodman said “Herein did the Shape of Evil dip his hand and prepare to lay the mark of baptism upon their forehead, that they might be partakers of the mystery of sin. I believe Hawthorne want to show the readers that evil is everywhere and the people you think are good in the outside are actually bad people in the inside. In the beginning of the story Goodman calls the person he travels with” friend” which I believe was the devil because the way he explains the staff that he caring and then the traveler knew his grandfather and father. The traveler said that he helped them both and they were his good friends. After that there was the minister and Deacon Gookin which are supposed to be religious man spreading the word of God but find out that they are walking the same dark pathway as Goodman, show they are follower of the devil. Meanwhile the next person Goodman see is the old Christian lady Goody Cloyse and he finds out that she is a witch and is friend’s with the devil, the more farther Goodman goes thought the dark forest the more evil people he sees that live in his village. The only thing that keeps from falling to darkness was his wife Faith, but once he saw her walking the same pathway everything change, he tried to call her to him but then she vanished into the forest. At that point Goodman gave up on God and his faith. Once Goodman made it the end of the  forest where the ceremony is located, you can see that God tries to save Goodman when it said ” His own dead father beckoned him to advance, looking downward from a smoke-wreath, while a woman with dim feathers of despair, threw out her hand to warn him back.” It was too late Goodman was trapped and he try help his wife and himself to resist mark of the devil but she was ready to be baptized with the mark.

The story that I find that is connected to Young Goodman Brown is the story of Adam and Eve. The similarities of Goodman Brown is Adam and Eve both did not follow the path of goodness, righteous, what god presented it to them and the devil walk them to the wrong path. God told Adam and Eve not to eat of the apple she listen to the devil saying that why god is not giving you this knowledge she was tempted to eat it and disobeyed and they were thrown out of the garden of Eden because not following or listening the right path. Young Goodman Brown follows the same purpose because Gods Warning was told in faiths dream to not go to the journey but to stay with her. Goodman does not listen at all so he get tempted by the devil the further into the forest. Adam one life line was Eve the moment he trusted her and ate the apple he committed sin. Goodman one life line to stay with God was to stay with his wife Faith the moment he saw Faith following the same path as he, he gave up on God and received the mark of the Devil. At the end of both stories Adam and Eve regretted what they both committed and they both got kicked out of the Garden of Eden. Goodman regretted what he did from that episode and he lost faith in everything from that he died alone.