THE WEAKNESS OF PUBLIC MORALITY
In “Young Goodman Brown,” Hawthorne reveals what he sees as the corruptibility that results from Puritan society’s emphasis on public morality, which often weakens private religious faith. Although Goodman Brown has decided to come into the forest and meet with the devil, he still hides when he sees Goody Cloyse and hears the minister and Deacon Gookin. He seems more concerned with how his faith appears to other people than with the fact that he has decided to meet with the devil. Goodman Brown’s religious convictions are rooted in his belief that those around him are also religious. This kind of faith, which depends so much on other people’s views, is easily weakened. When Goodman Brown discovers that his father, grandfather, Goody Cloyse, the minister, Deacon Gookin, and Faith are all in league with the devil, Goodman Brown quickly decides that he might as well do the same. Hawthorne seems to suggest that the danger of basing a society on moral principles and religious faith lies in the fact that members of the society do not arrive at their own moral decisions. When they copy the beliefs of the people around them, their faith becomes weak and rootless.
Answer:
A. Song-sam wants to find out why his old friend is on the communists’ side.
Explanation:
In Hwang Sun-won's short story "Cranes", he delves into the North-South reconciliation political situation between the two Koreas. This story works on the divided political ideologies and how most enmities are a result of misunderstood perceptions of the people.
The two protagonists Song-sam and Tok-chae were childhood friends but had to make political decisions after the intrusion of the Northern Communist forces. While Song-sam fled the village, Tok-chae had to stay behind as he <em>"wanted to be with [his father] in his last moments so that I could close his eyes with my own hand"</em>. Besides, they were poor farmers who depend on the land and can't leave when the harvest was near. And when the North forces retreated and the South was once again reclaimed, Tok-chae was arrested of treason and to be killed.<em><u> Song-sam volunteered to escort his old friend to Chongdam so that he can find the truth about why he did not flee and managed to survive even when the North was controlling the village. </u></em>
B. Not representative. Because not all parents need baby clothes, even after your kids move out you are still a parent.
