Element of Nature in Young Goodman Brown, and To Build a Fire - Essay Example

“Element of Nature in Young Goodman Brown and To Build a Fire” “It was all as lonely as could be; and there is this peculiarity in such a solitude, that the traveler knows not who may be concealed by the innumerable trunks and the thick boughs overhead; so that with lonely footsteps he may yet be passing through an unseen multitude.” (Hawthorne, 2) The statement above from “Young Goodman Brown” describes the solitude of the forest, which is majorly where the entire story is narrated. The importance of nature in the story can be inferred from this very fact, that in spite of having the option of choosing different locations to tell the entire story, Hawthorne chooses the forest in particular to narrate a story of the duality of human nature, with a particular emphasis on the evil that resides within all of us. Another interesting point is that Hawthorne makes sure to clarify that the journey which Goodman Brown makes into the forest is done at night and not during the day. If any trespasser were asked what comes to his mind with the thought of a dark forest, it can safely be assumed that by and large the first response would be related to the creepy feel that a dark forest exuberates. The dark forest sets the tone of the story and makes it clear to the reader from the start that what he is about to read is not a happily ending romantic novel or a light comedy, rather the dark thought provoking nature of the story comes across instantly. Therefore, the very first role played by the most predominantly used element of nature in the story, the forest, is to highlight the feel of the narrative and set the mood of the story. Time and again references have been made in the novel to the nature of the forest by the use of adjectives such as “gloomy,” “dark,” “silent,” “wilderness,” and so forth. The connotations made are very directly hinted at the prevalent nature of evil in the society which the story unravels to be about. The dark of the forest and the trees in particular are seen to provide refuge to evil, it is clear from the statement mentioned earlier in this article and such references have also been made later on in the novel, for example "There may be a devilish Indian behind every tree," (Hawthorne, 2). As Goodman Brown continues with his journey in the forest he meets an old man, who has not been given a name but it appears to be obvious that Goodman Brown does know that he will be meeting this man and that the meeting was not a coincidence. The conversation between Goodman Brown and the old man revolves around the old man challenging Goodman Brown’s belief in the goodness of the people of the society and his father and grandfather. From this conversation it appears as though the old man represents the devil or the temptation that attracts man towards evil. Hawthorne makes it a point to specify that the “old” man is sitting under an “old” tree while waiting for Goodman Brown, so that the reader can instantly make the connection of the old man with evil because there is an inherent eeriness associated with old trees with their sagging roots. Furthermore, the stick which the old man is narrated to be holding is constantly compared to a black serpent as follows, “But the only thing about him that could be fixed upon as remarkable was his staff, which bore the likeness of a great black snake, so curiously wrought that it might almost be seen to twist and wriggle itself like a living serpent,” (Hawthorne, 8). Here we see another element of nature coming into play, the snake is said to be amongst the most venomous of all animals and the fact that the old man holds this stick with such comfort reflects on his association with evil. An interesting piece of conversation from the story is as follows, "Come, Goodman Brown," cried his fellow-traveler, "this is a dull pace for the beginning of a journey. Take my staff, if you are so soon weary,” (Hawthorne, 9), this suggestion of the old man to Goodman Brown can have various implied meanings, the “journey” could mean the journey of life, the “dull pace” could mean the path of goodness and the “staff” again would mean the path of evil which makes the journey easier when compared with the path of righteousness. Later on, as the story progresses statements such as “…We are but a little way in the forest yet,” (Hawthorne, 10) give a feel that the way into the forest is figuratively referred to as the path to evil, so when the old man is convincing Goodman Brown he tells him that since they have only travelled a little yet, Goodman Brown can turn back towards his home if he wishes, but actually it means that he can hold on to his belief in goodness. An “empty air” is said to pass through the forest, (Hawthorne, 18) which adds magnificently to the scene which Hawthorne manages to successfully set by the time the reader progresses in the story. All the different elements of nature, the trees, the wilderness of the forest, the silence, the serpent like staff, fire and even the air are so aligned and their synchrony complements each other in the purpose of arousing a feeling of doubt, fear and guilt in the reader. The elements of nature have been portrayed as favoring the devil in comparison to Goodman Brown which also comes across in the following statement, “…while sometimes the wind tolled like a distant church bell, and sometimes gave a broad roar around the traveler, as if all Nature were laughing him to scorn.” A contrast in Goodman Brown is evident from the beginning of the story when he feels vulnerable at the hands of nature, when he believes in the good of the world to when he decides to continue with his journey in the forest after seeing his wife “Faith” following the same path. He says with an intended pun “My Faith is gone,” (Hawthorne, 23) and follows the path his wife took, at that point Goodman Brown’s personality change is reflected in his challenge to the winds when he feels them mocking him. From feeling vulnerable he comes to challenge nature. In “To Build a Fire,” the entire story revolves around nature and the power it can have over man. The story is about a man who is on a journey in Yukon, accompanied only by a dog under extremely hostile conditions. The severe cold in Yukon is the main and most powerful element of nature which the man believes he can withstand but eventually has to give in to the power of nature and thus, he falls prey to the cold. The second dominant element of nature is the dog, who is the sole companion of the man in his journey. Throughout the story, it is repeated that the man had been advised by a person some time back, referred to as “The old-timer on sulphur creek,” (London, 21) to not embark on a journey alone in Yukon when the temperature falls fifty degrees below zero, but the traveler is shown to mock the person who advised him, since he felt that “Those old-timers were rather womanish, some of them, he thought. All a man had to do was to keep his head, and he was all right. Any man who was a man could travel alone,” (London, 29). This statement gives the reader a fair idea of the man’s inherent nature, his belief in Mankind as being a superior species is evident. In his belief a man, a true man can conquer nature if he keeps control over his nerves but those who panic (implied as a womanish trait) have to surrender to nature. It is only towards the end of the story that the traveler realizes that the “old – timer” was indeed right, there are certain things outside the control of making – the strength of man cannot compare to the strength of nature. The number of traps provided by the hostile climate and their severity was unimaginable; it was like all the odds were running against the traveler. He was clad in the appropriate attire to shield himself from the extremely cold weather, he knew how to start a fire to warm himself, he walked his way very cautiously avoid all the possible springs that might have been covered by soft snow and so forth. Yet he falls into the spring and when he manages to light a fire it eventually extinguishes because he was careless to start it below the spruce. In both instances nature prevails over the intellect of man. The point which the author tries to make becomes clear as the story progresses, that is, the strength of nature over the strength of man. It is shown in the story that the dog of the traveler very loyally follows him throughout the journey, but he stays with the traveler not because he is faithful but because he has a motive. The dog feels the cold just like the traveler does, but the dog by itself is incapable to start a fire therefore he walks beside the traveler in a hope that sooner or later the traveler will start a fire which will provide warmth to both of them. An interesting fact over here is that as it is portrayed in the novel, the traveler and the dog are in the stated predicament because of the elements of nature and when they think about a way of rescue then also an element of nature (fire) is what comes to their mind. Consequently, even if the traveler thought that he could survive the cold because he was a “true man” he failed to realize that it was the fire that would have saved him, without it he would not have survived. When the traveler was unable to start the fire a second time because the numbness of his fingers did not allow them any movement, a second idea that struck him to keep himself warm was that of killing the dog and immersing his hands in the dog’s blood, as mentioned in the following lines, “He would kill the dog and bury his hands in the warm body until the numbness went out of them,” (London, 40). This again shows that had the man been successful in his endeavor he would have praised his intellect which in his opinion would have been the cause of his survival, however, had there been no dog; there would have been no survival. Therefore, again he needed the support of nature in order to stay alive. “He got on his hands and knees and crawled toward the dog. This unusual posture again excited suspicion, and the animal sidled mincingly away,” (London, 40), the lines mentioned above portray the limit to which a man can go in order to save his life and the instinct of the dog which made him suspicious of the traveler’s intension. Once again the superiority of nature over man is depicted. However, eventually the man is able to get hold of the dog but has to let go of it because of his inability to fetch his knife. The traveler tried running fast in an attempt to increase his blood circulation which might succeed in keeping him warm, however all was in vain. What the man needed for survival was nature, which was against him. The story ends with the death of the traveler who when left without an option realizes that his superiority and wisdom was not enough to save his life from the hostile clasp of nature. The dog sits beside the man for a while till after his death but as soon as he realises that the traveler has passed away he makes his way towards the camp. His intentions are beautifully summed in the last sentence of the story, “Then it turned and trotted up the trail in the direction of the camp it knew, where were the other food-providers and fire-providers,” (London, 64). This distills the intension of the dog for walking with the traveller, he had a motive which the dead traveler could not fulfil anymore and thus the dog heads towards those who could give him what he needed. Both the stories reviewed in this paper are phenomenal pieces of art and seek to explain very deep thoughts, philosophies, and questions. The elements of nature used in the story serve a central purpose in both stories, in the former nature is used metaphorically to portray evil and the latter depicts a tale of the struggle of superiority between man versus nature. The authors of both stories skillfully build the connection of the elements of nature with the plot for the reader and succeed in raising many deep questions in the reader’s mind primarily regarding his relationship with nature amongst many others. Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown". Maryland, USA: Wildside Press, September 15, 2005. Web. 17 November 2011. London, Jack. "To Build a Fire". Bantam Classics , April 1, 1986. Web. 17 November 2011. Read More