Draw Connections: “Young Goodman Brown,” “The Minister’s Black Veil” and Salem Witch Trial documents

Draw Connections: “Young Goodman Brown,” “The Minister’s Black Veil” and Salem Witch Trial documents

Nathaniel Hawthorne set much of his work, including many short stories and The Scarlet Letter, in eighteenth century Puritan communities in New England. Stories like “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Minister’s Black Veil” certainly discuss life in communities like Salem, Massachusetts, which was of particular interest to Hawthorne, as one of his ancestors was a judge involved in the Salem witch trials. At the same time, these stories also present possibilities for Hawthorne to explore more universal problems of the sinful nature of humanity and human hypocrisy.

Download the annotated “Young Goodman Brown,” “The Minister’s Black Veil,” and the Salem Witch Trial documents, and use them to answer the questions below about ways that the stories explore these themes through their use of symbols and imagery. The primary documents will help you think about the way that the trials brought out the worst in humanity.

  1. Compare and contrast how the pink ribbons and the black veil operate as symbols of faith in “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Minister’s Black Veil.” What do they show about the nature of faith, in Hawthorne’s understanding of it? How do they indicate something about the sinfulness of humanity?

    Question

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    Chapter 6: Compare and contrast how the pink ribbons and the black veil operate as symbols of faith in “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Minister’s Black Veil.” What do they show about the nature of faith, in Hawthorne’s understanding of it? How do they indicate something about the sinfulness of humanity?
  2. Why might setting “Young Goodman Brown” in a Puritan village at about the time of the Salem witch trials be significant? How does the description of the townspeople in that story, in “The Minister’s Black Veil,” and in the primary documents suggest the way that the stories use historical events and/or settings to talk about more universal problems?

    Question

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    Chapter 6: Why might setting “Young Goodman Brown” in a Puritan village at about the time of the Salem witch trials be significant? How does the description of the townspeople in that story, in “The Minister’s Black Veil,” and in the primary documents suggest the way that the stories use historical events and/or settings to talk about more universal problems?
  3. How do “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Minister’s Black Veil” distinguish between the good people of the town and the bad people of the town? How do the two stories differ in the possibility that some of these people may be redeemable?

    Question

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    Chapter 6: How do “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Minister’s Black Veil” distinguish between the good people of the town and the bad people of the town? How do the two stories differ in the possibility that some of these people may be redeemable?