Young Goodman Brown and Other Hawthorne Short Stories
ethan brand by nathaniel hawthorne
how does hawthorne use setting and description of that setting to establish the mood for his tale? why are these choices appropriate?
how does hawthorne use setting and description of that setting to establish the mood for his tale? why are these choices appropriate?
Puritanism was a very important part of Hawthorne's background, a part that he often questioned throughout his stories; many of Hawthorne's stories take place in Puritan settings. They are decidedly rural type settings in close-knit Puritan communities. This allows for the conjecture and hypocrisy of Puritan village life to flow freely. There is a gothic-like foreboding that permeates his stories as well as the isolation of his protagonists. These add a sense of the forbidden metaphysical to his plot, characters, and conflicts.