FREE ESSAY ON GOODMAN VS ROBIN

GOODMAN VS ROBIN

Separate Journeys
Michael Freel
Short stories, when written by the same author, vary by subject but sometimes contain
similar themes. Nathaniel Hawthorne was an entertaining writer who wrote many such
stories. Two among his works have some striking similarities. "Young Goodman Brown" and
"My Kinsman, Major Molineux" both were written within three years of each other by
Hawthorne (1832-1835). The biggest similarities between the stories were with the main
character of each. Robin from "My Kinsman, Major Molineux" and Brown from "Young Goodman
Brown" were both young men on a journey that took them through a single night. Both men
held some innocent or naive worldviews. Both had idealistic views of people that were
proven to be untrue. Both men experienced events that should be perceived as symbolic.
However, each man met a different fate. 
Both Robin and Brown took journeys that changed their lives forever. Both of these
journeys took place mostly under the cover of darkness. That was symbolic of the naivete
of both men. Both men met a series of people on their journey that turned up later in a
different light. Robin met a large man in an inn. When he later saw him again, he saw the
man as man with a two-toned black and red face. The change was only a symbolic one that
reflected Robin's view of the evil of the man. Brown experienced something similar with
the character Goody Cloyse, who he thought a devote Christian. Later, he saw her on the
road chatting with the devil like they were old friends. Both men had an idealized
character. Greater than the changes in the minor characters, both men had their views of
their idealized character completely changed, which changes their life. Brown's wife
Faith symbolized his faith, so he held an idealized view of her. At the end of his
journey, she appears at the devil's ceremony, which is symbolic of his loss of faith. He
never sees her in the same way again. Robin thought that his kinsman Major Molineux was a
highly respected member of his community and a great man. At the end of his journey,
Robin sees him tarred and feathered looking not very great at all. He finds out that the
people of the town hated, not respected, this man because of his support of the British.
Though their objectives on these journeys were different, both men experienced a similar
loss of innocence. Though the process was similar, the outcomes of their journeys were
different. 
The purpose of each man's journey was different. Brown's journey was a systematic
breakdown of his faith. It succeeded. All the people he held as pious and in high regard
were found out to be involved with the devil. Brown was inflexible and allowed this to
permanently disrupt his faith in humanity. He became "a stern, a sad, a darkly
meditative, a distrustful, if not desperate man" after the events of his journey. The
rest of his life "he shrank from the bosom of Faith." Brown led an unhappy life because
he lost his faith. Robin on the other hand did not. His journey was a systematic
breakdown of another sort. His journey served the purpose of changing the naive country
boy he was into a man of the city who sees things for what they really are. His journey
was also a success. His misconceptions about city life were lifted. By talking to people,
he found they were not as friendly or generous as he may have hoped. He found there was a
battle brewing that was forcing the citizens of the city to choose sides. By the end of
his journey, Robin saw the city as it was. He was no longer a naive country boy. Because
of this, he was then allowed the opportunity to stay in the city and grow. Robin's
journey forced him to have a coming of age.
Robin and Brown's journeys were somewhat similar in the experiences they had along the
way. Both met people that changed along the course of the journey. Both had their
perceptions about people altered. Both had their lives changed permanently. The purpose
and outcomes of their journey were different however. Brown's journey had a negative
ending while Robin's journey ended on a more neutral note. Brown died unhappy. Robin had
his vision of his uncle shattered, but grew stronger as a result of his experiences. One
lost his faith while the other had a coming of age. Though their journeys had
similarities, they were very different because of the outcomes. 
Bibliography
Young Goodman Brown and other short stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne