A Comparison of Young Goodman BrownandMy Kinsman, Major Molineux Essay

A Comparison of Young Goodman BrownandMy Kinsman, Major Molineux - Essay Example 171)†. It is certainly given an important place amongst all his works and the story itself can be seen as an allegory to represent the cultural changes which were coming to the country at the time the tale was written. The protagonist i.e. Robin, has to accept his loss of innocence and his coming of age much as the culture during Hawthorne’s time was undergoing changes. The change is also reflected in the world in which the story is set since everything appears to new and shining. Even the clothes of the common people are described as, â€Å"Embroidered garments of showy colors, enormous periwigs, gold-laced hats, and silver-hilted swords (Hawthorne, 1851, Pg. 1213)†. While the city streets had a modern culture, Robin was following the things he had learnt from his comparatively backwards environment. Hawthorne describes the contrast that Robin saw by saying, â€Å"Traveled youths, imitators of the European fine gentlemen of the period, trod jauntily along, half dancing to the fashionable tunes which they hummed, and making poor Robin ashamed of his quiet and natural gait (Hawthorne, 1851, Pg. 1213)†. This difference is only one of the ways that the journey pushes Robin into growing up and as discussed by Pearce (2001), â€Å"as we might expect in the case of a boy from the village wandering into Hogarths London, he is obliged to resist the entreaties of a lady of the evening (Pearce, 2001, Pg. 19)†. This representation of Robin in a place which is quite gaudy and more or less frightening is taken by Bermer (1981) to be a representation of all America since the country itself was trying to come to terms in â€Å"dealing with urbanization and industrialization (Bermer, 1981, Pg. 49).† Robin is quite taken by what he sees but is also in conflict since he is quite uncomfortable with the society he sees. In fact, this position of Robin becomes the primary message of the story and this idea is supported by by Herbert (1991) who says that, â€Å"My