Symbolic Conflicts in ‘Young Goodman Brown’ Essay Example

follows the Christian beliefs without doubts (Hawthorne, 1992). On the other hand, the serpent old man plays the role of an evil person who takes short cuts for his own benefit (Hawthorne, 1992). Presently, everybody has an excellent side that follows all the rules. However, when people are facing daunting tasks, the evil side emerges, presenting several temptations for people to follow. An excellent example is a politician. When seeking votes from the voters, the politician promises to deliver milk and honey. However, once elected, the evil side appears, tempting the politician to preach water while taking wine for his or her own personal gain at the expense of his or her voters’ wish. Therefore, Hawthorne’s story depicts the evils present in the society by applying symbolic conflicts.

Throughout the story the serpent old man narrates Brown a story of how Brown’s grandfather was using him. The serpent old man states that once his grand father used him to burn a town so that they could win a war; yet it was unjust (Hawthorne, 1992). People never came to know of this since they trusted his grandfather because he was an important man in the society (Hawthorne, 1992). Presently, the men and women of God who are trusted in the society also have evil sides (Stevens-Arroyyo, 2012). For instance, many religious leaders are using church funds for their own gain instead of helping the needy (Stevens-Arroyyo, 2012). This proves that humans have different conflicts of interests.

Conclusion

According to ‘Young Goodman Brown’, many symbolic conflicts arise depicting what is happening in the current world. This story shows that humans are extremely cunning and hypocritical. At one

point they are extremely honest and trustworthy while, on the other side, they are extremely evil since they use any possible means to help themselves. This creates a symbolic conflict because it is difficult for a person to trust the world. In comparison to Brown, a person is left sitting on the fence due to the conflicts and guilt he or she is facing.