Mysticism

Mysticism

Young Goodman Brown is a short story that was developed by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story features Goodman Brown and his wife, Faith who live in Salem village. Brown lives Faith to go on a journey and meets the devil in the woods (Hawthorne 1). He refuses to be tempted to join the devil’s brood even after seeing his wife on the alter (Hawthorne 5). Hawthorne’s short story has many themes, which reflect various happenings and experiences of humans in the real world. Mysticism is one of the themes evident in Young Goodman Brown. Mysticism is the belief that humans can connect with God or the spirits through thoughts and meditation. According to this belief, humans can communicate with God, spirits, or supernatural forces. This paper provides evidence of the mysticism in Young Goodman Brown and it influences readers’ personal growth.

Hollister indicates that Brown is a Puritan (1). Protestants in England during the 16^th and 17^th centuries were called Puritans. They aimed to cleanse the practices of the Roman Catholic in England. Puritans aimed at reforming the Church of England, which was still following some practices of the Roman Catholic. DeHoff indicates that Puritans believe in faith experience (47). As such, Puritans incorporated more mystical teachings, which indicated that Christians can have a more direct experience of God. The mystical union of Christians with Christ was a prominent aspect of Puritanism (DeHoff 47). In Young Goodman Brown, the marriage between Brown and Faith is symbolic of the union between Puritans and Christ. Brown experience faith with Christ as symbolized in the marriage. As Brown moves away from his wife, who symbolizes Puritan faith, his encounter with Christ declines. Experiential faith is an aspect of Puritanism that is evident in Young Goodman Brown. When Brown encounters the devil, he loses his faith as they went deeper into the woods.

The ultimate experience of Puritans is mystical. They believe that they will go to when where they will have the chance to see and communicate with God. Brown says, “I’ll cling to her skirts and follow her to Heaven” (Hawthorne 1). Since her wife symbolizes faith, clinging to faith with enable him to have an encounter with God in heaven. Being close to faith provides the environment that an individual needs to meditate and enter into the spirit where they can converse with supernatural beings such as God. This represents the desire of every Puritan as indicated by Brown who refuses to relent his belief in their Christian faith.

Religious mysticism is evident throughout Hawthorne’s short story. As Brown advances into the forest, he fears that “There may be a devilish Indian behind every tree” (Hawthorne 1). Darkness and the woods have a mystical meaning among Puritans. They believe that it is such environments where people may encounter and communicate with the devil. Such worries are evident in Brown who says “What if the devil himself should be at my very elbow!” (Hawthorne 1). As Brown walks into the forest, the old man who he met earlier seated at the foot of a tree transforms into the devil.

Entering into the spirit world is a mystical belief among Puritans. The forest represents the evil spirit world where Brown communicates with the devil physically. The kingdom of the devil was a mystical belief among Puritans. The traveler, who represents the devil, says “…the selectmen, of divers of towns, make me their chairman” (Hawthorne 2). Brown indicates that accepting the devil’s deal would heart-break Faith. It is mystical to believe that the heart of Christ can be broken like the case of human beings. As such, it means that Brown had a relationship with Jesus Christ, who is in the spirit world.

Young Goodman Brown exposes readers to mystical beliefs and matters of the spirit world that are relatable to real-world situations. Humans are whole beings whose well-being is a result of spiritual, physical, psychological, economic, and social health. Insights from the analysis of religious mysticism in Young Goodman Brown can be used to promote personal growth. First, readers can learn from Brown to fix their minds on their ultimate goal and should not permit any deviation from their path. Even the presence of his wife in devil’s alter could not influence him into joining Satan’s brood. Insights from the short story can help readers to understand the importance of experiential faith in spiritual growth, which influences other aspects of holistic growth. Staying close to Christianity is necessary to avoid backsliding.

In conclusion, mysticism is the belief in the ability of humans to experience and communicate with God or other spirits. The theme of religious mysticism is evident in Young Goodman Brown. Puritans such as Brown have mystical beliefs such as experiential faith that enable humans to communicate with God and even the devil. Religious mysticism leverages on symbolism to demonstrate how meditation or prayer may help an individual to enter the spirit world. Faith represents Christ and Brown lives with him. Therefore, Brown communicated with Christ for the last three months he had married Faith. The conversation between Brown and the devil is mystical since the latter is in the spirit world.

Works Cited

DeHoff, Susan L. Psychosis Or Mystical Religious Experience?: A New Paradigm Grounded in Psychology and Reformed Theology. Springer, 2018.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Young Goodman Brown. Simon and Schuster, 2012.

Hollister, Michael. “Analysis: Young Goodman Brown.” 2015. Accessed 19 November 2019 from http://www.amerlit.com/sstory/SSTORY%20Hawthorne,%20Nathaniel%20Young%20Goodman%20Brown%20(1835)%20analysis.pdf