Natural Depravity

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Natural Depravity
Nathaniel Hawthorne uses natural depravity in quite a few of his short stories. Natural depravity is the belief that man is born with some evil in him regardless of whom Hawthorne may be talking about. This is shown very well through Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story Young Goodman Brown.
Natural depravity is easily shown through Hawthorne’s short story Young Goodman Brown. Goodman Brown goes on a journey through the forest with the devil. Goodman Brown in having second thoughts on this journey because he is feeling as though he is bringing down his family name by going with the devil. The devil reassures him that this is act is not going to bring his family name down by saying to him “…I helped your grandfather, the constable, when he lashed that Quaker woman so smartly through the streets of Salem, and it was I who brought your father a pitch-pine knot, kindled at my own hearth, to set fire to an Indian village, in King Philip’s War”. This quotation explained to Young Goodman Brown that his family name is not as good as he thought it was. The quotation shows natural depravity in that it through explaining to Goodman Brown how his family name is already tarnished.
Nathaniel Hawthorne believed strongly in the concept of natural depravity. He thought that every man was born with some evil in them. This is very well shown through the story, Young Goodman Brown....