Analysis of the Settings of "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Young Goodman Brown: Analysis of Settings
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Young Goodman Brown: Analysis of Settings
Introduction
In literature, setting refers to the time and place in which the literature context is defined. A broader definition of setting also involves the economic, social, and cultural conditions captured within the literary piece, including the social status, historical period, and the immediate surroundings of the environment captured in a piece of literature. The setting provides the backdrop of a story and helps create mood, the behavior of characters, and the overall description of a narrative, be it fictitious or a true historical event. Authors establish settings to allow the audience to visualize, experience, and relate to the context of the written material. The paper seeks to analyze the setting of Young Goodman Brown's short story, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1835.
Setting Period
The story reflects the Salem Witch Trials' events that took place in Salem between 1692 and 1693. Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions in which people accused of witchcraft were either killed or cast away from the village. In this period, the Salem village was occupied by settlers from Europe who aimed to purify the church through Puritanism. Puritanism refers to the religious reformation movement where English protestants migrated to the United States in fear of persecution by the Catholic Church in Europe. The Salem witch trials were part of Puritans' effort to rid evil from society and lead a holy life. The story was written in 1835, at the beginning of Romanticism and Transcendentalism. The belief that societal institutions, including organized religion, were responsible for the corruption of individuals' purity is a key element of the story, as seen through Brown's experience.
The key reason why the story is placed in this period is the presence of witch trials. For instance, while walking in the woods, the old man tells brow...