Comparing Symbolism of Barn Burning by Faulkner and Young Goodman Brown by Hawthorne

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Comparison-contrast of Young Goodman Brown and Barn Burning
In Young Goodman Brown and Barn Burning, the use of symbolism is used to represent the positive and negative aspects wield power to fight for justice or perpetuate the injustice. The issue of justice prevails in both stories as the protagonists see injustice all round them. In Ban Burning, the protagonist Colonel Sartoris comes of age trying to chart his own destiny in the face of poverty. On the other hand, Goodman Brown is longer trustful of fellow men after visiting the evil forest and seeing a church minister. Even though the young Goodman Brown is more likely in allegorical story it draws upon history the Salem witch trials, as the story is set in the area. This is a comparison contrast paper on Young Goodman Brown and Barn Burning.
In Barn burning, fire represents the ability of Abner Snopes to rely on power over other property owners, but it also shows his lack of powerlessness. On one hand, fire is useful to improve the wellbeing of the family as they are chased out of town, but he also used fire to terrorize other people by burning their barns. On the other hand, the forest in Young Goodman Brown represents the struggle between good and evil, since it is supposedly the location where the evil spirits reside, while Goodman gets redemption upon visiting the forest. As such, Hawthorne highlights on repentance and retribution as a way to eliminate evil (Maus 84)
There are differences on how the two stories depict the problem of powerlessness and power through symbolism. In Barn burning Abner Snopes relies on criminal acts by burning property to increase his power, with Snopes accustomed to committing crime and getting way with them, to him fire is a weapon for which to exercise power. On the contrary, Goodman cannot utilize the forest to have advantage, given that he has no control over activities that goes on deep in the forest. In other words, the forest is depicted as a dark place that is full of evil in Young Goodman Brown, while fire is simply a tool that can be used for good or evil depending on the circumstances.
In Barn Burning, Sartoris Snopes is fighting the battle to reclaim his dignity and worth going against his father’s will while also trying to protect his family honor. The fight between evil and good characterizes the story as Sartoris resolves to maintain a balance of fighting evil. This is also found in the character of Goodman who goes to the forest but is then disgusted by what he sees, and he resolves to fight evil in the community. The two main characters in the story are preoccupied with doing good deeds, but they also differ on how to achieve this. Snopes the young man decides to distance himself from the father, and be his own man. However, Goodman merely accepts to go to the evil forest out of curiosity, and he is disillusioned to find even church ministers.
The theme of morality/ evil
The setting of Barn Burning and Young Goodman Brown represent the themes of evil and hypocrisy that often characterized the rural areas of American in diverse communities from the South to the North. The rural setting represents farming as the main economic activities, with property holding an impo...