In "The Birthmark" and "Young Goodman Brown," Hawthorne criticizes the Puritans' belief in the depravity of man to convey his notion that people are inherently flawed, so people must accept their own nature and others' flaws. ... Humanity's flawed nature also refers to people's spiritual imperfections and sins, which are clearly evident in Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown." Hawthorne begins by alluding to the belief in total depravity in this short story when Goodman Brown sees Goody Cloyse in the forest and is reminded of the Puritan cat...

• Word Count: 1568
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

"Benito Cereno" can be compared to Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown" because the main character from both stories struggles to decipher the realities of good and evil. In short, Goodman Brown sets off on a journey through the forest, where he meets up with an older man with a walking stick that possesses supernatural powers. ... In the story, Goodman Brown has difficulty between believing in the goodness of these respectable townspeople and believing that they have close relations with the devil. ... It appears that both authors, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herm...

• Word Count: 1557
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate