James Simons
Professor Chuck Baker
English 102-012
29 September 2014 Theme of Hawthorne’s Stories In Hawthorne’s short stories “Ethan Brand”, “The Minister’s Black Veil” and “Young Goodman
Brown” a character is developed to reflect religiously on the Puritan Americans. The characters attempt to make their decisions and discoveries not only affect their own lives, but also the lives of the townspeople. Hawthorne highlights the hypocrisy of the Puritans vastly throughout his short stories.
Hawthorne’s stories show the readers that they should keep sin in mind, but they should not let it take over their lives. In the short story “Ethan Brand” Ethan is so obsessed with the unpardonable sin…show more content… He insulted his old best friends after they came to greet him, ““leave me,” he said, bitterly, “ye brute beasts, which have made yourselves so, shriveling up your souls with fiery liquors! I have done with you. Years and years ago, I groped into your hearts, and found nothing there for my purpose. Get ye gone!””(Hawthorne, “Ethan Brand”). He started to look down upon every one and thought of himself as higher than the townspeople. He believed that all of his old friends were now unworthy to congregate with him. He let the thought of sin take over his life and even take his life, literally, at the end of the story. This story also shows how Hawthorne highlights the hypocrisy of Puritans looking at others sins before looking at their own. In the short story “The Minister’s Black Veil” the minister is so focused on wearing the black veil and not showing his face, that he loses his wife, friends and the respect of the townspeople. He won’t even take it off just once for his wife ““Lift the veil but once, and look me in the face,” said she. “Never!
It cannot be!” replied Mr. Hooper. “Then farewell!” said Elizabeth.”(Hawthorne, “The Minister’s