The Coming of Age Theme in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Short Stories Research Paper

Introduction

Many literary works are dedicated to the protagonist’s personal growth. An important point in the character’s development is their coming of age when they transform from naive to wise, from immature to mature, or from an idealist to a realist. In such stories, the young protagonist usually goes through pain, suffering, or various misfortunes. They serve as sources of valuable experience for the character that helps them change their worldview and grow up. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses this theme of coming of age in his literary works Young Goodman Brown and My Kinsman, Major Molineux.

Young Goodman Brown

The short story “Young Goodman Brown” describes the most frightful and fateful night in Goodman Brown’s life. The protagonist is a young Puritan, married to a beautiful woman called Faith. Goodman had to go on a trip and, though unwilling to separate from his beloved wife, he had to wave her goodbye. Faith tried to persuade him to stay, but he was determined to go. His way lay through the dark forest, and the young man was haunted by scary images of “devilish Indians” born by his vivid imagination (Hawthorne, “Young Goodman Brown” 3). He met a strange companion and then several revered people from his village who seemed to behave strangely. Ultimately, Goodman realized they all came to a witches’ sabbath where seemingly staunch and faithful Christians hailed dark forces. What shocked Goodman the most was the presence of his wife Faith. As he called for her and asked her to resist the evil influence, everything disappeared as if he was dreaming. Whether it was a dream or not is not clear, but this surreal experience changed Goodman overnight.

This story may be regarded as a metaphor for the process of maturing and can be divided into three parts: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. The story’s beginning can be associated with childhood because the protagonist has a peaceful life where everything is simple and has no major worries. He is sure that his neighbors are virtuous and religious people, and his wife is a “blessed angel on earth” (Hawthorne, “Young Goodman Brown” 3). Goodman is naïve, and when he later meets with a suspicious person “whose description makes his dabbling with the dark world very clear,” he “fails to realize it” (Sahmadi 4-5). His views are superficial, but he has to leave his comfort zone and enter the harsh reality. Like many people, he is reluctant to do so, and it is metaphorically shown through his unwillingness to part with Faith at the beginning of the story, but eventually, Goodman realizes he has to go.

Then comes adolescence, presented via Goodman’s wandering through the forest, meeting with the stranger and all the respectable people of Salem. This period in human life is associated with doubts, the formation of critical thinking, and one’s own outlook and opinions on various major topics. Goodman leaves his peaceful, simple life and enters a new strange reality where he has to reassess everything and everyone he knows. It is a scary experience as everything seems to become unfamiliar. To show it, the author uses the image of the dark forest and the Indians, who serve as a symbol of something unknown, scary, and possibly hostile.

Finally, the sabbath is the “coming of age” point for Goodman as it destroys his original superficial worldview and reveals the world’s hypocrisy. He is not sure what happened that night: whether it was a dream or an omen for him. However, he cannot see the people around him with the same trust and reverence as before, and his adult life begins.

My Kinsman, Major Molineux

In “My Kinsman, Major Molineux,” Hawthorne tells the story of another young man called Robin Molineux. It starts with his arrival at Massachusets Bay at nine o’clock in the evening. The “youth of barely eighteen years” does not seem to come from a wealthy family. His coat is “well worn,” stockings are made by his mother and sister, and his hat probably used to be his father’s (Hawthorne, “My Kinsman, Major Molineux” 4). However, he seems to be optimistic and hopeful as his eyes are “bright,” “cheerful,” and “eager” (Hawthorne, “My Kinsman, Major Molineux” 4-5). Robin came to find his relative – a Governor Major Molineux whom he imagines as an important and respected official. Therefore, he expects a warm welcome in this unknown land, but instead, his hopes are shattered: nobody seems to know the major and care what connections Robin has. People only focus on his shabby garments and lack of money and treat him harshly based on these two factors.

This story can also be perceived as a coming of age metaphor. Robin’s life before the trip would be “childhood,” as at the beginning of the story, he is still presented as a naïve and hopeful young man. Then he comes to an unknown place, the harsh reality is revealed to him, and he enters “adolescence.” He wanders along dark, narrow streets, meets people whose remarks and behavior puzzle him. At first, he does not critically evaluate all the suspicious mishaps he encounters during the night. As Jenks notes, Robin is “rather easily deceived” by “mendacious townspeople,” despite his self-assured claim of being shrewd (100). However, it is a typical attitude of a self-assured teenager who has not faced any major trouble in life. Robin’s ultimate meeting with his relative becomes a “coming of age” moment as it destroys his initial beliefs and makes him question everything he knows. The young man is shocked by the lies and hostility of the townspeople and the misery and humiliation his honorable kinsman suffers from those who should respect him. As Robin awakes from his dream or hallucination, he is faced before his first choice as an adult. He has to decide whether he would stay and try to succeed in Massachusetts, relying on his relative, or he would leave and find his own way in life. This choice might be a symbol of accepting or rejecting the former naïve beliefs.

Conclusion

To conclude, coming of age is a significant point in human life, and many authors use it as a theme in their literary works. Nathaniel Hawthorne was not an exception as coming of age is one of the major themes of his short stories Young Goodman Brown and My Kinsman, Major Molineux. Both Goodman Brown and Robin Molineux are initially presented as idealistic and naïve young men who later go through devastating disappointment and lose blind faith in the people they regarded as virtuous and exemplary. They learned about hypocrisy and life struggles and became more realistic, critical, and mature.

Works Cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. My Kinsman, Major Molineux. Shaf Digital Library, 2016.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Young Goodman Brown. Start Publishing LLC, 2012.

Jenks, Rod. “A Lucid Portrayal of Ambiguity: Locating Meaning in Hawthorne’s My Kinsman, Major Molineux.” Humanitas, vol. 30, no. 1-2, 2017, pp. 98-111.

Sahmadi, Linda. “The Earnestness of Humor: Hawthorne’s Puritanical Sense of Humor in ‘Wakefield,’ ‘Young Goodman Brown’ and ‘My Kinsman, Major Molineux’.” HAL, 2018, Web.