***Analysis of "Young Goodman Brown"

In class on Tuesday we analysised the Nathaniel Hawthorne short story "Young Goodman Brown."  The story is set in the Puritan time period and in Salem Village.  The story is a romantic piece and focuses on the evil of nature and the supernatural.  "Young Goodman Brown" revolves around Goodman Brown's meeting with the devil in the forest and his realization of the evil around him.

There are many different symbols in the short story that should be anaylized.  First is the staff.  The staff is shaped like a serpent which comes from the biblical symbol of the snake as an evil figure.  The the bible, the serpent tempts Eve in the garden of Eden which in turns causes her to bite into the forbidden fruit.  The devil tells Goodman Brown to take the staff and tempts him just as the serpent tempted Eve.  The staff helps clear up the fact that the old man in the forest has an evil agenda, and is in fact the devil.

Another symbol is Faith's pink ribbons.  These ribbons represent innocence and purity.  The color itself is a symbol of innocence and the ribbons are supposed to represent a innocence and youth.  Hawthorne mentions the ribbons in the beginning of the story many times to make sure the reader ties them with Faith and lets the reader know Faith is meant to be nd innocent and pure character.  The ribbons are also present in the forest when Goodman Brown is thinking about the goodness of the people around him and if he can trust them.  When Faith reappears after the forest gathering, she is wearing the ribbons.  This in turn makes Goodman Brown quesion even more about the goodness and purity of the people in his village.

Also the forest is another symbol.  In the romantic period nature was considered evil and dark.  If a character wondered into the forest at night, the reader should be expecting something awful and evil to e happening.  When Goodman Brown wonders into the forest at night, the reader should atomatically assume something evil and dark is about to take place.  The forest also represents sin and the forest holds all of the sin in the story.  For one the devil lurks in the forest and Goodman Brown meets him there.  Also the meeting was held in the forest. 

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Reflection Over "A Rose for Emily"

In the story, "A Rose for Emily," by William Faulkner, Emily kills her friend Homer Baron.  She then sets him in a bed and lays next to his decaying body.  This story very much disturbs me.  I feel like Emily had other choices then to kill the Homer.  Although she may have been lonely, I do not think murder is ever the right choice.

Some people may argue that Emily kills Homer because she is lonely.  Others argue Emily kills Homer because he is gay and she does not ever want to let him go.  Maybe she thinks if she can not have Homer nobody can. I think Emily does kill Homer because she is lonely and she does not want to be alone.

Then there is the question of the butler Tobe.  Tobe is a mysterious character.  Not only does he know what is going on in Emily's household, but he stays there.  I believe Tobe helped Emily carry Homer up to the bed to kill him or after she killed him.  Tobe also runs away when the townspeople show up for Emily's funeral, so he has to know what Emily did is wrong. 

**The Most Dangerous Game

"The Most Dangerous Game" has two key characters.  Rainsford, the protagonist, and General Zaroff, the antagonist.  There are some similarities between the two characters, but there are many more differences.  First off, the two characters are similar because they are both hunters. Rainsford is the best there is and Zaroff has read Rainsford's book and saw he is the best there is.  Also Rainsford and Zaroff are similar because they are both competitive.  Rainsford wants to beat Zaroff at his game while Zaroff tries competing with every one who ends up on the island.  

Some differences are what Rainsford and Zaroff hunt.  Rainsford sticks to the traditional wild animals while Zaroff has become bored with that and now hunts humans.  Also Rainsford does not believe in hunting the human race while Zaroff does not see anything wrong with that.  He needs a challenge from boring wild animals to more skilled and interesting humans.

I think the reader has to be aware of the many mentions of darkness.  There is a constant shadow that surrounds Ship-Trap Island.  The author also mentions the water to be "velvety, moist and black" on a moonless night.  This means when Rainsford has to find his way to the island after falling off the boat he has to do it in the dark.