Ambiguity and Clarity in Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown" by Richard H. Fogle (Essay Sample)

Name: Affiliation: Course: Date: Ambiguity and Clarity in Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown" by Richard H. Fogle Storytellers who publish articles are often just as complicated as the narratives themselves. Twists and turns in a tale, particularly the mysteries, can catch us completely off guard. We like people who find themselves in circumstances that they do not fully comprehend. We also like it when a character eventually deciphers the situation is probably mystery and fascination. He can obtain all of the responses. He has eventually figured out "why" it's all occurring to them. With almost all of his acquired knowledge, he deserves a nice ending. What of narratives in which the protagonist and the audience don't get all the explanations in the final moment? How about if we're left with nothing but the ''how,'' "why," and "what"? "Young Goodman Brown" narrated by Nathaniel Hawthorne is an epitome chronicle that leaves you with much more questions unanswered. This paper will expound on the ambiguities and strive to clarify the author's and readers' understanding of the literature. "Young Goodman Brown," a fiction tale written by Nathaniel Hawthorne was published in 1835. The eponymous protagonist, based during in the Puritan era, abandoned his wife, religion, and embarks on a voyage into a dangerous wilderness with a menacing figure, wherein he finds the terrible mysteries of his native village, which ultimately change his religious and psychological viewpoint for the worst (Fogle, page 452). Although some may dismiss this as merely a scary story, it still does raise an important quandary: Was everything and anything that occurred to Brown (the witch's Sabbath, his religion being denounced, the entire uncovering of his society's deceit) real? Or is it all just a nightmare? We, the audience, have no idea. It's almost as though Hawthorne "intentionally persuaded or permitted his disciples to go adrift." Readers can easily see the metaphorical components Hawthorne incorporated to render the narrative more significant throughout the novel. Brown sees a person who represents satan, with someone whom Brown, as well as the audience, are "confronted with two comparable incongruities: the devil's staff mimics the scriptural snake, and the devil personally features Brown's dad" (Fogle, Page 452). When he recounts the terrible mysteries of his acquaintances and elders, he chuckles at Brown. There could be a logical explanation for the ambiguity, as suggested by this theory: the satan is Brown's wicked nature embodied, that he finally succumbs to, replete with "a devil's laughing and a demon's staff" (Fogle, Pages 451). Nonetheless, the question remains unclear: Was anything there true? We cannot tell, after all. However, Hawthorne might well have meant for the denouement to be ambiguous. According to Richard Fogle, "By [ambiguity] Hawthorne can suggest something of the density and incalculability of life, the difficulties which clog the interpretation of even the simplest incidents, the impossibility of achieving a single and certain insight into the actions and motives of others. This ambiguity adds depth and tone to Hawthorne’s thin and delicate fabric” (Fogle, page 453). Fogle also considers the concept as genuine when he says that, "Hawthorne poses the weird question of the relations of Good and Evil in man but withholds his answer. Nor does he permit himself to settle whether the events of the night trial are real or of the mere fragment of a dream” (Fogle, page 453). Although there could be nuanced solutions for the audience to consider in determining if Brown's experience was genuine or otherwise, the definitive method is not one of them. The idea is that it makes no difference. Despite its apparent simplicity, "Young Goodman Brown" contains a remarkable level of difficulty and gravity, partly thanks to its ambiguity. One could look at it as a morality tale worth addressing and pondering. It is also the narrative of a person who wakes up on the opposite side of the bed (Fogle, page 452). In his novel, Nathaniel Hawthrone was doing an excellent job of demonstrating numerous aspects of social life. For instance, Hawthorne emphasizes current societal innate good and evil equilibrium. While Brown converses with the devil in the woods, the devil reveals Brown's colleague's evil intentions and deeds. Brown began to rethink his ideas and aspects of the culture during which he inhabited as a result of all this. Brown saw the deception he had been taught by several individuals whom he had formerly thought were harmless. Since he reveals the dishonesty, Nathaniel...