Nathaniel Hawthorne

"Young Goodman Brown"
"The Birthmark"


1

"Young Goodman Brown"

Discuss Hawthorne's use of nature imagery. What language does he use? How is nature characterized? How does Nature connect with his themes?

2 Were the events in the forest a dream or did they really happen?

3 Explain the significance of the sentence: "'Faith! Faith!' cried the husband. 'Look up to heaven, and resist the Wicked One.'"

4

"The Birthmark"

Discuss Hawthorne's thematic treatment of the birthmark. What does it represent, and how is it used to convey Hawthorne's themes?

5 The narrator says, "it was not unusual for the love of science to rival the love of woman in its depth and absorbing energy." Explain the significance of this line to the story's themes.

6 Hawthorne is known for his use of allegory. Discuss this story's connections with allegory. How is it allegorical, and what is its allegorical theme?


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