![]() ![]() But of course, in a story which is about the nature of ‘good’ and ‘evil’, Brown’s epithet takes on an added significance. ![]() ‘Goodman’ was a polite term of address in Puritan New England, and served the same function as ‘Mister’. Many of the names in the story are charged with symbolism, too. One can allow evil to taint one’s soul by purporting to stand against it: many people, including those involved in the Salem trials, have committed terrible acts against other human beings but have considered themselves ‘good’ people because they are convinced they have right on their side. This was a culture Hawthorne knew well, and one of his ancestors, John Hathorne, was even involved in the witch trials at Salem. Hawthorne’s story taps into the air of superstition but also religious hypocrisy surrounding seventeenth-century Salem. During this short period of hysteria, 141 people were arrested and 19 were hanged another was crushed to death. ![]()
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