After analysing several of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short narratives. it becomes evident to the reader that he frequently wrote utilizing the repeating subject of wickedness. Though wickedness is present in all of his plants. there is much fluctuation on the ways in which his characters come to understand the built-in immorality that lurks indoors every human being. Whether expressed in the signifier of selfishness. passion. or compulsion. the wickedness is someway cloaked and concealed from others. and prevents worlds from accomplishing pure goodness ( O’Toole ) . Among Hawthorne’s many literary plants. “The Birthmark. ” “The Minister’s Black Veil. ” and “Young Goodman Brown” supply first-class illustrations in picturing the discrepancies among the common subject of evil and wickedness.

In “Young Goodman Brown. ” Hawthorne creates a struggle between Brown and his ain credence of wickedness in world. In the narrative. Goodman Brown ventures into the wood. where he meets a adult male who is described as. “about 50 old ages old…and bearing a considerable resemblance to him [ Brown ] . though possibly more in look than characteristics. ” ( 738 ) Yet possibly the most important portion of this description is that of the staff this adult male carried. which. “bore the similitude of a great black serpent. ” ( 739 ) taking the reader to presume the adult male is evil. if non the Satan himself.

The devil leads Goodman Brown to run intoing topographic point. deep within the forests. where many honest society members are idolizing immorality. Even the curate. who is the closest homo to God. is at that place take parting. However. perchance the most notable character in attending is Brown’s married woman. Faith. who he antecedently called. “a blessed angel on Earth. ” ( Hawthorne. “Young Goodman Brown. ” 738 ) While Goodman Brown went into the wood with the belief that all of his neighbours were pure and sin-free. he exited with an opposing sentiment of them and can no longer look at them the same manner he used to. With the statement. “There is no good on Earth ; and wickedness is but a name. Come. Satan ; for to thee is this universe given. ” ( 742 ) Hawthorne reiterates his subject that immorality is present in the universe. in both nature and the human spirit. and that even the most holy of people have some hidden immoralities skulking inside of them.

Similarly. in Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil. ” the writer retains the subject of hidden wickedness. However. the struggle in the narrative is somewhat different. being between the people and Hooper’s erosion of the head covering. which symbolizes the credence of wickedness. In the narrative. Hooper. the town curate. all of a sudden decides to get down have oning a black head covering. no affair what the juncture. The members of his fold feel uncomfortable by this symbol though. One concludes. by the decision of the narrative. that Hawthorne intended for Hooper’s head covering to typify wickedness. and the fact that the curate was have oning it demonstrated that he knew he has done incorrect and accepted the world that it could non be undone.

Father Hooper’s erosion of the black head covering seems to impact his parishioners in that the members of the fold felt as if they were besides have oning head coverings merely because they felt the presence of Hooper’s. This is possibly what the curate intended as he says. “I expression around me. and lo! on every countenance a Black Veil! ” ( Hawthorne. “The Minister’s Black Veil. ” 759 ) apparently convicting all people of holding wickednesss that they are concealing and need to acknowledge. Nathaniel Hawthorne non merely describes the wickedness in every human being in this narrative. but besides preaches that one should non look down upon another for their wickednesss when they excessively have sinned.

Though the antecedently mentioned narratives have been really similar in their word picture of wickedness. Mr. Hawthorne makes his subject more hard to place in his narrative “The Birthmark. ” While the implicit in subject of cloaked wickedness is still apparent. it is conveyed through a narrative covering with the author’s thoughts about nature. The supporter of the narrative. Aylmer. believes his married woman. Georgiana. is perfect with the exclusion of the nevus on her cheek. Due to his strong passion for scientific discipline. Aylmer develops a method to take this nevus. showing his selfishness. a trait that Hawthorne believes leads work forces to transgress.

One dark. Aylmer has a dream that when he removed the nevus. it went into Georgiana’s bosom. This dream leads readers to believe that the nevus is an exterior representation of internal wickedness that merely Georgiana knows of. In the narrative. the writer says. “It was the fatal defect of humanity which Nature. in one form or another. casts ineffaceably on all her productions. either to connote that they are impermanent and finite. or that their flawlessness must be wrought by labor and hurting. ” ( Hawthorne. “The Birthmark. ” 768 ) This statement allows the reader to do the premise that Nathaniel Hawthorne believed that the ownership of defects and wickedness is what characterizes worlds. and that it is impossible to be perfect while populating on Earth.

Through a description of the three mentioned narratives. “Young Goodman Brown. ” “The Minister’s Black Veil. ” and “The Birthmark. ” readers come to understand the many ways in which Nathaniel Hawthorne conveyed his beliefs sing wickedness. The decision is reached that all worlds must hold some signifier of wickedness. whether it be it the signifier of selfishness. passion. or any other mode. and that most people try to hide these wickednesss in order to look perfect. Hawthorne besides believes that wickedness can frequently times be so little that it goes unnoticed. yet it impacts the entireness of the sinner’s life. Many other similarities. besides the relentless subject of evil and wickedness. can be observed in Hawthorne’s plants. yet this subject seems to be possibly the most common and most evident subject throughout his Hagiographas.

Bibliography:

Hawthorne. Nathaniel. “The Birthmark. ” The American Tradition in Literature. Ed. George and Barbara Perkins. New York: McGraw-Hill. Inc. . 1994. 767-777.

Hawthorne. Nathaniel. “The Minister’s Black Veil. ” The American Tradition in Literature. Ed. George and Barbara Perkins. New York: McGraw-Hill. Inc. . 1994. 751-759.

Hawthorne. Nathaniel. “Young Goodman Brown. ” The American Tradition in Literature. Ed. George and Barbara Perkins. New York: McGraw-Hill. Inc. . 1994. 737-746.

O’Toole. Heather. “The Blackness of Men’s Souls: Why Nathaniel Hawthorne
could non Embrace Transcendentalism. ” Bridgewater College. 4 Feb. 2003.