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Memory and the Past
Making a "Young Goodman Brown" guide without a "Memory and the Past" section is like skydiving without a parachute, or like making brownies without eggs: possible, but you're not going to like the results. But keep a few things in mind: first, Hawthorne had some conflicted attitudes about the past. He was horrified by the Salem Witch Trials, but admired his ancestors for their independence and hard work. Second, he gave similarly mixed attitudes to young Goodman Brown. Brown starts off believing that he is unworthy of the "race of honest men and good Christians" he came from (17). Later, he's horrified by Salem's vices, but doesn't try to escape. To us, that sounds a lot like Hawthorne himself.
Hawthorne uses "Young Goodman Brown" to both praise and criticize his ancestors' stern community lifestyle.
The historical themes in "Young Goodman Brown" are secondary to timeless issues of good, evil, and personal salvation.
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