The narration in “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne was written partially in third-person limited view and in third-person omniscient view which means that the narrator stands outside the story and can see into the thoughts and feelings of only one or two characters in the story. In this case, the narrator can look into Young Goodman Brown and tell us what Brown is thinking and felling at any given moment, but the narrator’s power to observe the inner person is limited. The narrator is limited, meaning that the narrator reports Young Goodman Brown’s inner thoughts and feelings but leaves the reader to draw his or her own conclusions about those thoughts and feelings. In other words, the narrator does not judge the character in a moral sense. When Brown leaves his wife, Faith, to begin his dark journey into the forest, the narrator observes his inner feelings of guilt. “What a wretch his I am I to leave her on such an errand! . . . Well, she’s a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night I’ll cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven.” Hawthorne wants is to understand that Young Goodman Brown fully appreciates the danger this journey poses to his soul but, more important, the temptation to walk on the Puritan wild side is too great to be overcome. The narrator’s limited omniscience is obvious when Young Goodman Brown’s traveling companion appears. “As nearly as could discerned, the second traveler was about fifty years old, apparently in the same rank of life as Goodman Brown, and bearing a considerable resemblance to him.” The narrators use of the duel point-of-view allows him to leave the reader guessing about everything that happens to Young Goodman Brown.
Category Archives: Classwork
Proselytes
Proselyte is noun.
According to Merriam Webster dictionary the word proselyte means: A new convert (as to a faith or cause).
The word proselyte was used by Nathaniel Hawthorne on page 9 of the class handout entitled, “Young Goodman Brown.”
Hawthorne wrote, “And there stood the proselytes, beneath the canopy of fire.”
Goodman Brown and a young woman whose face was covered, but whom he later realized was his beloved Faith were the proselytes. They were the ones who were newly converted to join the fiend, (devil) worshippers.
Exhorted
Exhorted is a transitive verb.
According to Merriam Webster dictionary exhorted means: To try to influence (someone) by words or advice. To strongly urge (someone) to do something.
Nathaniel Hawthorne used the word exhorted on page 5 of the class handout entitled, “Young Goodman Brown.”
Hawthorne wrote, “They continued to walk onward, while the elder traveler exhorted his companion to make good speed ….”
My understanding is that the elderly gentleman travelling with Goodman Brown was urging him to hurry so that they could get to where they were going quickly.
DURST
Durst is a verb.
According to Merriam Webster dictionary durst means: Archaic and dialect past of dare.
In other words, durst is an old fashion way of saying dare. It is also a way certain groups of people spoke depending on the social group they belonged to.
The word durst is used by Nathaniel Hawthorne on page six of the class handout entitled, “Young Goodman Brown.”
Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote, “Goodman Brown alternately crouched and stood on tip-toe, pulling aside the branches, and thrusting forth his head as far as he durst, without discerning a shadow.”
Goodman Brown was making his best effort to avoid being detected in the bushes by anyone passing. At the same time he wanted to see who was passing. He extended his head from the bushes as far as he thought would be appropriate for him to identify who is passing without them in turn seeing him.
PIOUS
Pious is an adjective.
According to Merriam Webster pious means: Marked by conspicuous religiosity, a hypocrite. Falsely appearing to be of good moral.
The word pious is used repeatedly by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the class handout of “Young Goodman Brown.” On page six, Hawthorne wrote, “Once, the listener fancied that he could distinguish the accents of town’s-people of his own, men and women, born pious and ungodly….” Also, on page eight, Hawthorne wrote about Deakon Gookin waiting for his reverend pastor and stated, “But, irreverently consorting with these grave, reputable, and pious people.”
Goodman Brown could not at first believe he correctly recognized the voices he overheard. These were people from his church, people whom he did holy communion with. He could not understand why they professed to be godly but still gathered with people of bad character, some of whom were even criminals to be a part of this demonic event. The presence of the pastor and his deacon indicated to Goodman Brown the level of hypocrisy he was witnessing. He did not understand why the reverend pastor, a member of the clergy and his deacon did not see how ungodly this event was and rebuke those assembled.
Young Goodman Brown
I think the story is written mostly in third person omniscient because it seems to have a voice and description for many characters thoughts and reactions throughout the story. At first thought that this story was third person limited because it mainly showcased the thoughts and feelings of Goodman. “With excellent resolve for the future, Goodman Brown felt himself justified in making more haste on his present evil purpose.
The reason I was torn between omniscient and limited is because throughout the text you are able to get a visual of many of the characters and descriptions of their behavior. “They turned; and flashing forth, as it were, in a sheet of flame, the fiend worshippers were seen, the smile of welcome gleamed early on every visage”.
I felt that this style of writing , and most especially the style and language it was written in gave it a very eerie feel. More so than both “A Jury of Her Peers” and “A Rose for Emily” which were told in third person as well. Within the story of “Young Goodman Brown”, it seems to touch on every character. It seemed easier to gage the intentions and feelings of all those surrounding the main character and opposed to “A Rose for Emily” in which the focus is mainly centered on her. The story talks of her characteristics, habits, attitude and behavior. With “Young Goodman Brown”, one is able to get a sense of each character, and with that, the reader becomes interested in the background of the story as well.
Verily
Verily – certainly or truly.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/verily
Used in “Young Goodman Brown”, third page, fourth paragraph [19]. Used as a verb to describe a certainty of how Goodman’s family never would have been into any evil practices.
Or, verily, I marvel not seeing that the least rumor of the sort would have driven them from New England.
Goodman was describing how his family would have been shocked, and ashamed at the mere rumor that their family would have been involved in any sort of wickedness.
A Rose for Emily
Emily Grierson from William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily is a woman who never married. It was intriguing to see Emily become a recluse. The story is an excellent example of macabre and horror, Faulkner proves if done right you can creep readers out without gory details and intense violence. The narration [third-point of view] was also enjoyable, I especially liked how the narration used the word ‘our’ to depict the feelings of the town as a whole.
The story started out with Emily already being dead, and then Faulkner starts telling us about the Colonel who made up a story so Emily didn’t have to pay her taxes, it is unclear what is actually happening in the story. However, it becomes clear what direction Faulkner was taking; key moments of Emily’s life in the eyes of the town were recalled and told to us, these events in turn helped with inferring the revelation of Emily’s chilling necrophiliac nature.
The first hint at necrophilia was Emily’s refusal of her fathers death when, for three days, she kept his dead body in her house. Emily wasn’t seen after her fathers death again until around the time construction workers showed up in town. She was seen around town with Homer Barron and the townsfolk thought she would marry him. Much later when she was well over thirty she was seen buying arsenic due to which the townsfolk thought she was going to finally kill herself. Instead she invited Homer to her house after which he was never seen again. Emily after his disappearance became a full reclusive and wasn’t seen again until her death (except for when the men in the town saw her in the window after they sneaked into her house and sprinkled lime all over the doors etc due to the horrid smell surrounding her house and for the brief period she taught china-painting). After her death the story goes back to present and reconnects with the opening passage. The women and men enter her house and go upstairs to the room that they knew was never seen in the last forty years. They see a room decorated as a bridal suite and see a man, whom we can assume is Homer Barron, dead.
The body had apparently once lain in the attitude of an embrace, but now the long sleep that outlasts love, that conquers even the grimace of love, had cuckolded him. What was left of him, rotted beneath what was left of the nightshirt, had become inextricable from the bed in which he lay; and upon him and upon the pillow beside him lay that even coating of the patient and biding dust. Then we noticed that in the second pillow was the indentation of a head. One of us lifted something from it, and leaning forward, that faint and invisible dust dry and acrid in the nostrils, we saw a long strand of iron-gray hair.
The ending was the second and the most crucial hint at necrophilia. Even so, Faulkner leaves a lot of gaps in the story giving way to various interpretations, I’m sure some of you may have read the end differently than I did.
A Rose for Emily
I believe that Emily’s actions are the result of her strong independence. She refuses to be criticized by the town when she gallivants around town with Homer Barron without being married to him even though it was frowned upon by the entire neighborhood. She refuses to be left by Homer, so she murders him by giving him the arsenic to drink in order not to lose control of the relationship that she has with Barron and she refuses to pay taxes because Colonel Sartoris told her she was not obligated to.
Classwork for “A Rose for Emily”
Put the following events in chronological order:
- Emily Grierson dies.
- Emily’s father, Mr. Grierson, dies.
- There is a smell around Emily’s house.
- Emily teaches china painting in her house.
- Emily buys arsenic from the town’s druggist.
- Colonel Sartoris makes up a story to allow Emily not to pay taxes.
- The aldermen visit Emily to try to get her to pay taxes.
- Mr. Grierson disapproves of all of Emily’s potential suitors.
- Homer Baron arrives in town.
- Homer Baron disappears.
Today’s discussion will draw from our online discussion about race and the use of objectionable language in “A Rose for Emily,” as well as our further reflections about power in the short story.
