Throughout history there has always been a constant fight between the good and the evil. God, or the light is described as the good side of the fight. While Satan, or the dark is labeled as the evil side. As most will admit in stories or movies the good or light side is usually the one to prevail. This is because the evil side is constantly doing wrong making the desire for reader to want the good to overcome. Satan is portrayed as the fallen angel or a tempter to sin. In Oates, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” and Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” the use of the devil or Satan is a prevalent part of both stories, which makes one wonder where  they get their description of him and how  they change him to fit their story? Throughout this essay I will be making comparative analysis of the two texts by showing their similarities and differences in their physical descriptions of the devil and how his powers are used.

In Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” the devil is very prevalent in influencing the mind of young Goodman Brown. In the beginning of the story Brown tells his wife, Faith, that he must go on a trip that will only take one day. Hawthorne uses this to show irony because he is leaving both his wife Faith and his religion faith. Goodman then set off through the woods, where he says, "What if the devil himself should be at my very elbow!"(Hawthorne 1) showing he can sense the presence of the devil. Right after that he comes upon a man who seems like he has been waiting for him to come. The man then says "this is a dull pace for the beginning of a journey. Take my staff, if you are so soon weary."(Hawthorne 2) saying Brown can use his staff to help him walk but he does not take it. They then come upon a woman who Brown recognizes as being Goody Clouse. Goody Clouse who labels the man as the devil and declares herself to be a witch. Brown says "That old woman taught me my catechism," (Hawthorne 3) this is stating that the same woman that taught Brown his religion is now proclaiming that she is a witch. Before leaving Brown hears a voice like the deacons saying "I had rather miss an ordination dinner than to-night's meeting.” In shock he continues to tell the man that he is going to return home to faith. He then hears a voice that sounds like Faith’s. He calls out her name trying to find her and as he does this the pink ribbon flutters down that he saw on her when he said goodbye. Out of anger he then grabs the staff and is pulled through the forest until he reaches the ceremony where a fire is lit. Around the fire are a group of various respected faces that he recognizes very well. From the Deacon to Goody Clouse, but he doesn’t see his wife Faith. The Deacon and Goody Clouse commit to turning to their wicked ways. They then bring out a person with a bag on their head who they call the convert. The person decides to show the wickedness of the world and when they turn around Brown sees it is his wife Faith. Brown after saying "look up to heaven, and resist the wicked one." (Hawthorne 7) he finds himself alone in the forest still. He awakes the next morning and returns to his village of Salem. He sees everyone as evil even though the Deacon is blessing people and Goody Clouse is still catechizing little kids. He then sees his wife with pink ribbons in her hair coming to kiss him. He looked sternly then passed without greeting. Though we are not sure whether or not the events Brown saw happened. I believe personally they did not because Brown’s wife Faith still had the pink ribbons but in the forest she supposedly lost. In this story the Devil is mainly using the power of deception to convince Brown that the people are all wicked in his town creating evil in his heart towards these people.

In Oates “Where Are You Going Where Have You Been” a girl by the name of Connie has a dangerous encounter with what is considered to be the devil. Connie is a 15-year-old girl who is often caught admiring herself in mirrors as she passes by them. At the same time, she is constantly urged by her mom to be more like her older sister. Her mom says things like “Why don’t you keep your room clean like your sister?” (Oates 1) Connie likes to spend her time going out with her friend June. They often sneak across the street to meet boys at the local restaurant. One day she met a boy named Eddie and “she spent three hours with him, at the restaurant where they ate hamburgers and drank coke.” (Oates 3) One Sunday while Connie’s family is at a barbecue a man comes to Connie’s house by the name of Arnold Friend. He pulls up in a Gold convertible. He approaches Connie described as “how pale the skin around his eyes were” (Oates 6) almost like he was seeing through. His hair looks fake. She recognizes his voice and the man on the radio and when she asks his age he begins to look older and older. “She felt a little light-headed” (Oates 8) then begins telling her exactly what her family is doing at the barbecue and how she has neighbors with chickens. Connie, scared,runs and tries to grab the phone when she is stopped by Arnold who tells her “Now get up, honey. Get up all by yourself.” (Oates 10) She does exactly as he says and leaves with him and doesn’t know where she is going. Arnold shows attributes of the devil because he knows what Connie’s family is doing exactly at the barbecue. He also looks almost transparent to her kind of like a demon. He seems to age when she recognizes he isn’t young. Connie also seems to listen to what he says like he has control over her.

Looking over both stories you can see that the devil or a form of the devil is used in both of the stories. They both appear in the story trying to deceive or get something out of the main character. Hawthorne portrays the devil as one who is trying to deceive. He makes Brown think his town is full of witches and evil. Which in return makes him evil because he thinks everyone else is. While Oates describes the devil figure as being more hands on. He knows everything about Connie. He even shows features of what the devil may look like by being transparent and looking like he has a wig for hair. 

Based on the bible “The Devil will continue his rebellion against God until the very end.” (Deem) Which is why in both of the stories there is a devil figure because the devil will continue to fight to get people on his side till the very end. “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7” (Deem) Neither Connie or Brown were very good at resisting the devil so he didn’t flee from them he continued to haunt them. “Satan masquerades as an “angel of light,” deceiving humans just as he deceived Eve in the beginning Genesis 3.” (History of Satan) Shows why the narrator disguised the devil as a regular person because he masquerades as an “angel of light.” Making it hard for the main character to notice that they are encountering the devil.

As one can see the presences of the devil in the story is very clear in both of these stories. One shows more of a deceptive devil while the other would be considered more hands on by attacking the victim. Either way the devil is in the story to kill, steal and destroy. Both of the texts show similarities and differences in the types of powers the devil has and what he may have looked like.
