It is a well-known fact that many artists draw inspiration from their own lives. When a subject is prevalent through a large portion of someone’s creative activity, it may be inferred that this matter is significant in the life of the artist. Many writers who lived in colonial America wrote poems, stories, and even novels pertaining to the subject of religion. After all, these authors have ancestors who left England in pursuit of religious freedom. As with every other aspect of life, in writing there are those people whose beliefs and opinions do not match the acceptable norm. An individual’s level of religious devotion can range anywhere from complete denial to subtle skepticism to fanatic belief. Nathaniel Hawthorne, one famous author from this time period, uses religious references in many of his stories. More specifically, Hawthorne chose to examine how sin and obsession can isolate an individual from those around him. This separation that Hawthorne’s characters often face causes them to lose everything that was once precious to them. Goodman Brown and Minister Hooper successfully sever themselves from their loved ones and their communities because they can not accept or forgive the sins of others. Any moderately intelligent person understands that no human is infallible. No lack of intelligence exists when referring to Dr. Rappaccini or Dr. Baglioni. Both men have chosen to commit their time to expanding their knowledge. The pursuit of excessive intelligence leads to a man, void of emotion, who will sacrifice his loved ones to achieve greatness. The nightmare that Goodman Brown has about the dark forest creates an illogical paranoia that is soon followed by everlasting solitude. The story begins with Brown leaving his fiancé Faith and making a journey into the wilderness. The task he has set out to accomplish is unknown, but probably immoral. The sinister forest is a place of evil where people go to perform unspeakable acts. Brown points out that good Christians like his father and grandfather never entered the forest. On his reluctant journey into the center of the woods, he encounters the woman who performed his catechism, and later the deacon of his church. These people are respectable Christians who hold positions of leadership in the religious community. The two suggest that a ceremony will take place in the evening hours, but Brown cannot recall any form of religious practice ever occurring in such a tainted location. As the clouds begin to roll in, he hears familiar voices in the distance. He follows the sounds to a clearing where a large group of people are gathered. Here he finds every deceitful, immoral member of his community participating in what can only be described as a satanic ritual. Immediately his attention is centered on Faith, who disappears into the sky. He has lost his Faith to the devil. The discovery of evil in the heart of every man changes Brown; he returns from the forest a sad, paranoid, lonely person. This transition may appear to have happened overnight, but for a single dream to disrupt his life with such magnitude, the immoral behavior of his townspeople had to have been on his mind frequently. Minister Hooper also loses his fiancé and his place in the community because of his excessive fixation with the sins of humanity. The difference between Brown and Hooper is that Hooper makes a conscious decision to separate himself from the world with this barrier. He appears one Sunday before his congregation with an atrocious black veil covering his face. When Hooper offers no explanation, the people of the community are left to fear the worst. This simple piece of crepe transforms the minister into a ghoulish persona. As he exits the Sunday service, Hooper abruptly realizes the consequences of exposing his secret sin—no man will walk by his side or offer him a seat at Sunday brunch. Women cringe when Minister Hooper blesses their infants and small children scream when they see him. His presence is collectively dreaded by everyone. Mass hysteria ensues because Hooper continues to wear his black veil. He is now the subject of every conversation. The Minister’s fiancée, Elizabeth, is the only person who can bear to have a conversation with him, face to veil. He confesses that he has made a vow to make known the secret sin he once kept hidden. After all, it is impossible for any man to live a life free of all sin. Redemption may only be achieved through confession and requesting forgiveness from God. Perhaps the first Sunday he wore the veil, it served to emphasize his sermon. The awful reaction of the community is a true window into the hypocritical nature of his fellow man. Fearing their beloved minister is guilty of some awful crime against humanity, the members of his congregation seem to forget that they too are sinful creatures of God. The harsh shunning that first Sunday had a severe impact on the minister’s mind. He pledges his life to proving a fairly obvious point: everyone sins. Yet, in some ways the reactions of the people around him are perfectly understandable. What woman desires to grow old with a faceless man? Does the ability to effectively frighten his congregation outweigh the benefits of removing his mask and becoming, once again, fully adored by all? Only a man dedicated beyond reason, would choose this lonely fate. Although he is a brilliant man who has discovered medicines that will benefit those around him, Dr. Rappaccini treats human beings like lab rats. He pretends to seek a companion for Beatrice, his daughter, who is doomed to wander in his poisonous garden for all of eternity. Under these false pretenses, the evil doctor manipulates the potential suitor, Giovanni, into entering the garden. Far from wishing to secure his daughter’s happiness, Dr. Rappaccini seems to have other motivations for bringing the two young lovers together. One possible benefit of exposing Giovanni to the deadly purple flowers is the creation of another poisonous person. Ultimately, Dr. Rappaccini focuses so much on his science experiments and outdoing his nemesis Baglioni that he loses the capacity to love his child. The doctor has created a barrier between himself and the outside world with his poisonous garden. In this enclosure he is free to alter and manipulate God’s creations without interruption. He has kindly bestowed a life of loneliness on his daughter, who is a prisoner in his garden. A lifetime of exposure to these venomous plants has transformed Beatrice into a toxic human being. Perhaps her father’s objective is to turn her into a secret weapon that can be used for his own protection and amusement. A caring father would want a companion for his lonely daughter. A selfish scientist would contemplate the benefits of two poisonous creatures roaming his garden. In any case, Giovanni arrives and discovers that Beatrice is incapable of direct contact with him. He falls in love with the toxic woman and discovers her fatal flaw. Ironically, in an attempt to cure her, Giovanni creates an anecdote which causes her death. Aylmer is an egotistical man whose endless pursuit of perfection results in the tragic demise of his wife. Aylmer does genuinely care about his spouse, but it is suggested that his love of science may be deeper than his love for her. Georgiana is an exceptionally beautiful woman with one distinctive feature. She has a hand-shaped birthmark on her left cheek. In the beginning the mark does not present a problem for the couple. As time progresses, Aylmer is made aware that some women believe the mark to be detrimental to her look. Now Aylmer can think of nothing else. When Georgiana discovers her husband’s true feelings, she begs him to remove it. Aylmer’s satisfaction is important to her and he is displeased with her appearance. This task should be no match for a brilliant scientist. Aylmer’s efforts succeed in removing her blemish but, in the process, lead to her death. God is incapable of error, and he created every imperfect living creature on this planet. Part of being a religious devout is accepting and forgiving the sins and immoral acts of others. Goodman Brown can not accept the idea that the members of his community are sinful beings.
In contrast, Minister Hooper will live a life of misery to demonstrate that he is a sinful creature of God. Their obsession with sin resulted in ruining their lives. As for Rappaccini and Aylmer, their obsession with excessive intelligence has destroyed their hearts. The deaths of Beatrice and Georgiana, two innocent and beautiful women, are the result of their callousness. It seems that obsession can be a very dangerous thing.