Similarities and differences in “ The Way to Wealth Summary” and “Young Goodman Brown”

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story, Young Goodman , is a fictional narrative that presents the life of a man called Goodman Brown who lives in a hypocritical society concerning their beliefs and behaviors. Despite being the protagonist, the story presents how Goodman is limited in his role in society according to behaviors towards a member of the family and others. Firstly, the character is limited in his role of speaking the truth about hypocrisy that dominates their society based on the people’s religions. While the story depicts that society subscribes to Christianity, Hawthorne (2012) reveals that they attend devils evil parties at night. Goodman’s role in the society is also limited following his failure to exercise authority to warn his wife against joining the cult. However, Goodman pushes against the boundaries created by the society by not engaging with the blasphemous individuals to enable his focus on the path to righteousness. 

Similarly, Benjamin Franklin’s story, The Way to Wealth , features a character, father Abraham, whose role in the society is limited in different confines. Specifically, Father Abraham’s role as an evangelist is limited because members of society avoid his preaching because they are engrossed in economic activities. Father Abraham’s responsibilities in the community are limited because it is rare to find an audience that listens to his without disruption from their masters. However, Franklin (2019) explain that the character is committed to breaking the boundaries set by society because he is committed to enlightening the people about obstacles established by their masters to prevent their success. Specifically, Father Abraham breaks the boundaries by preaching against the meek who manipulate the poor in society. The character further breaks the societal boundaries by teaching the poor population to focus on the self-development to acquire wealth. The teachings include the act of saving to avoid over-reliance on their masters. 

References 

Franklin, B. (2019). The way to Wealth. General Press. 

Hawthorne, N. (2012). Young Goodman Brown . Simon and Schuster Publishers.