Themes of Hypocrisy and Sin in the Scarlet Letter, Ethan Brand, and Young Goodman Brown Essay Example

Nathaniel Hawthorne is known for his unique development of theme in his work. Hawthorne uses the ideas of Puritanism to show his dislike for the school of thought as a whole. Hawthorne derives this hatred of Puritanism from his personal connection to it. Using symbolism, Hawthorne communicates this dislike. Hawthorne shows strikingly similar ways of developing themes of hypocrisy and sin in The Scarlet Letter, “Ethan Brand”, and “Young Goodman Brown”.

The theme of hypocrisy shows up throughout the works of Hawthorne. He portrays the Puritans as hypocrites by using specific symbols and characters. For example, in The Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale committed a sin equally as horrible as Hester’s, yet he was still seen as a heroic figure to the puritans. The puritans were hypocritical and judged his actions differently than Hester's solely because of how they perceived him prior to his confession. Hawthorne puts the story in a light that makes the reader unable to distinguish good and evil. This allows his themes to have no bias to the reader. This is similar to how he develops his theme of hypocrisy in “Young Goodman Brown”.

In the Story, “Young Goodman Brown”, Hawthorne also employs the use of hypocrisy as a theme. Puritans are seen as pure, religious people, but Hawthorne sees them as hypocrites. Young Goodman Brown states, “There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil; for to thee is this world given” (Goodman, Hawthorne). Brown sees that everyone he knew and thought as pure, was not. Hawthorne uses this realization to change how Brown thinks for the rest of his life. He sees everyone as evil and does not know right from wrong. Hawthorne uses the same symbolism in “Young Goodman Brown” as he does in The Scarlet Letter. Darkness is a primary symbol throughout both stories, representing the unknown and evil. Hawthorne uses similar symbols to develop the theme of sin.

Another one of Hawthorne’s common themes is sin. In The Scarlet Letter,  Hawthorne states, “And there stood the minister, with his hand over his heart; and Hester Prynne, with the embroidered letter glimmering on her bosom; and little Pearl, herself a symbol, and the connecting link between those two” (Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne). Hester’s A and Pearl are representations of sin. Pearl connects the sin of adultery between Hester and Dimmesdale. She is the permanent result of their sin and a reminder of it. Hawthorn uses symbols like these to develop his themes without using character’s outward actions. He focuses more on their inner emotions and conflict as seen in “Ethan Brand”.

Hawthorne uses the emotions and pursuit of intellect in “Ethan Brand” to develop the theme of sin. Hawthorne states, "A sin that grew nowhere else! The sin of an intellect that triumphed over the sense of brotherhood with man and reverence for God, and sacrificed everything to its own mighty claims!” (Ethan Brand). Ethan Brand realizes in his search for the unpardonable sin, that the search was the sin itself. When the other characters discover Brand’s body, they only think about the money his marble heart will make them. Brand thought that his growing intellect was the sin, but maybe the way others had no thoughts about his death was the true sin. This shows Brand’s internal struggle and his intellect as a symbol of sin.

To conclude,  Hawthorne uses similar symbols to develop his themes of sin and hypocrisy. Hawthorne has specific ways to show his hatred for the puritan way of life. He communicates his themes through emotions and thoughts of characters, as well as, their surroundings. He uses different themes to represent the same mindset. As such, his works are based on the ideas that puritans are inherently hypocritical and focus their lives around the evil of humans instead of the good.