The Dichotomy of Self Reliance and Conformity Essay Essays

The Dichotomy of Self Reliance and Conformity Essay Essays The Dichotomy of Self Reliance and Conformity Essay Paper The Dichotomy of Self Reliance and Conformity Essay Paper The late eighteenth Century in American history was dominated by an epoch of emotional and individualistic values of oneself. and a powerful sense of limitless possibilities. This was the Romanticism Period. An unbelievable figure of marvelous chef-doeuvres were contrived during this period of enlightenment. including Nathaniel Hawthorne’s dramatically thematic and equivocal short narrative. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† . every bit good as Ralph Waldo Emerson’s intriguingly influential and uplifting essay. â€Å"Self-Reliance† . Hawthorne’s composing aspires to implicate theories and subjects about the world of the universe we live in and to exemplify our single restrictions through the art of symbolism and sarcasm. Emerson uses a alone attack in his authorship. endeavouring to animate people to appreciate the universe they live in. and to hold religion and assurance in themselves. Although it is deeply clear that Hawthorne and Emerson have two impressively different political orientations about life and personal bounds. Hawthorne seems to incorporate some of Emerson’s thoughts and values in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† . Through his artlessly superb usage of several literary devices. including fables. Hawthorne incorporates the thought that Young Goodman Brown fails to hold faith in himself and is afraid of failure. which leads to his ultimate devastation. While Hawthorne weaves Emersonian ideas. into his work such as those found in â€Å"Self-Reliance† . he besides critiques them in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† where he focuses on the subject of good and immorality. which contradicts Emerson’s belief that people are innately pure and good. The Romanticism Period in America consisted of two diverse classs. the luring Dark Romantics and the inspirational Transcendentalists. Dark Romantics focal point on subjects of wickedness and immorality. and believe that hurting and enticements are great forces. which are meant to be dealt with and experienced. Dark Romantics are drawn to the strong images of the picturesque past through symbolism and tend to compose with an ambiguity of mode on the complexnesss and sarcasms of life. qualities which Hawthorne successfully incorporated in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† . Notwithstanding Hawthorne’s Dark Romantic qualities. he does look to incarnate some of the ideals and principals Transcendentalists. such as Emerson. abide by. Emerson. bearing an optimistic position of life and human nature. believed in advancing peace in the universe by promoting people to acquire in touch with their true ego and tended to see things in either black or white. In the beginning of â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† . the inexperient character Goodman Brown. who portions Emerson’s vision of seeing people in black and white. presumes that everyone in his community is either good or bad. The similarity of beliefs between Hawthorne’s character. Goodman Brown and Emerson’s political orientation. embracings Hawthorne’s deduction of how inaccurate a person’s perceptual experience may be and how things are non ever as they appear. Although Goodman Brown held his household members in high respect. claiming. â€Å"my father neer went into the forests on such an errand. nor his male parent before him† . he becomes flustered when the senior traveller. who accompanied him in his iniquitous journey through the forests. answers. â€Å"I have been every bit good acquainted with your household as with of all time a 1 among the Puritans ; † reassuring Goodman Brown that his male parent and gramps were non every bit guiltless as he so robustly assumed. ( 102 ) . Goodman Brown. being the inexperienced person and fleeceable person that he is. races to the decision that everyone is now evil. attesting Emerson’s political orientation of artlessness and pureness. Emerson believes that it is incorrect to let one ego to be influenced by another. and that one must swear in his or her ain intuition instead than conform to the belief of others. Goodman Brown did the complete antonym. He instantly condemned his male parent and gramps one time his attach toing traveller argued that they excessively had sinned. taking him to free religion in goodness. In support of Emerson’s political orientation of trust. Hawthorne allows his readers to presume that Goodman Brown’s deficiency of personal trust is what leads him to isolation. Hawthorne uses the thought of Goodman Brown’s journey in the signifier of a dream as a agency to set up uncertainness in the head of the reader. For the same ground. the storyteller poses the inquiry. â€Å"Had Goodman Brown fallen asleep in the wood and merely dreamed a wild dream of a witch-meeting? † ( 111 ) . Hawthorne leaves this inquiry unanswered to demo that it does non count if Goodman Brown’s experience was existent or a dream. but what affairs is how it impacted him. Harmonizing to Emerson. people must swear themselves before swearing others. One must hold assurance in his or her ain abilities. Goodman Brown wholly shunned everyone around him and isolated himself from his community. and although Emerson believed that conforming to society spreads one’s single ego. he would non hold approved of isolationism. As expected. Emerson and Hawthorne clearly had different positions about American civilization and society. Emerson viewed America as a new and guiltless state with a clear slate. unburdened by old historical events as Europe had been. Hawthorne on the other manus has a more realistic position of America. He realizes that America is non every bit guiltless as Emerson implies. He believes that America’s history is still portion of the state and he acknowledges human mistake. When the Satan reassures Goodman Brown. â€Å"I helped your gramps. the constable. when he lashed the Quaker adult female so cleverly through the streets of Salem ; † Hawthorne illustrates through existent events in American history how the Religious society of friendss were persecuted by the Puritans in the 1650s. and besides refers to King Philips War between the Puritans and Native Americans. when the Satan tells Brown that he helped his male parent. â€Å"set fire to an Indian Village. in King Philip’s war† . connoting that America does non hold such a clear slate ( 102 ) . Hawthorne seems to hold the ability to stand for a character. such as Young Goodman Brown. that has features and beliefs that he does non needfully O.K. of. The ground for this is perchance because his family’s history stretches back to the early yearss of the Salem Witch Trials where he became good acquainted with Puritan society. Bing a maestro of symbolism. Hawthorne successfully conveys his message of recognition of human mistakes and that there is every bit much immorality in the universe as there is good. Although the subject of good and evil that Hawthorne believes in does non co-occur with Emerson’s belief that people are strictly good. the subject of trust and religion in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† seems to associate to both of the authors’ theories. Emerson’s support of the thought that people should believe in themselves straight opposes Hawthorne’s thought. as portrayed by Goodman Brown. which inquiries whether people are genuinely fit to do determinations for themselves. Emerson espouses the political orientation of â€Å"Self-Reliance† whereas Hawthorne takes on a conformist position. It would likely be safe to state that our ain personalities are made up of a combination of both schools of idea instead than purely one or the other.