Two pieces of literature may be regarded as different due to what their surfaces portray, but the closer one examines each work, the closer one is to discovering that there lie similarities between the two pieces.  Herman Melville and Nathanial Hawthorne are famous for their creation of two famous tales, “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” and “Young Goodman Brown.”  The two stories were set in different places, told in different points of views, and set in different time periods, which played a major role in the development of the pieces however, both of the stories presented a great amount of symbolism.  “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” and “Young Goodman Brown” may appear to be different at a first glance, but the further one analyzes the two pieces, the more they begin to realize the pieces share similarities.

“Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street,” written by Herman Melville, was set in the nineteenth century during a time where there was little technology in New York.  The story is told in first person and is later identified as a lawyer.  He considers himself to be a “…safe man” (Melville 475).   He narrates the story without influence, but with observations.  The narrator has a few men reporting to him, but the strangest one is Bartleby.  In the beginning, Bartleby would complete his work in a timely manner, but as the days passed he would repeatedly state that he would, “Prefer not to…” (Melville 481).  The lawyer describes Bartleby as “…a motionless young man…” (Melville 480).  He seems to present a little concern for Bartleby’s sake, but refuses to ever confront him, which may be unusual for the lawyer’s position in the hierarchy of his firm.

“Young Goodman Brown” was set in the seventeenth century during the times of the Witch Trials in Salem, Massachusetts.  The tale is told in third person and the narrator is never named.  The main character, Young Goodman Brown, lives with his wife, Faith, in a town of Christians who always “Say thy prayers” (Hawthorne 1) and practice their religion. One day Young Goodman Brown decides to leave and explore the dark forests of Salem. Before his going, Faith warns him to “prithee put off your journey until sunrise and sleep in your own bed to-night” (Hawthorne 1).  After little hesitation, he leaves Faith and his home and makes his way into the forest.  He experiences several events that doubt his wife and his fellow citizens.  

The surface of the two tales presents knowledge, but it does not allow the reader to grasp the real meaning until they analyze and research it in more depth.  The two stories are filled with symbolism.  “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” “…is a story of passive resistance” (Desmarais).  Bartleby represents a test against capitalism and change. Capitalism is an economic or political system where private owners control the workers.  In a capitalist economy, owners might “…ignore employee complaints, and blame the poverty of workers on their own moral failures…” (E).  In “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street,” the lawyer is a presentation of a private owner and Bartleby is a representation of a worker during a time of capitalism.  When Bartleby enters the workplace he challenges the hierarchy system when he disregards the lawyer’s orders to copy his cases.  This represents the protest of a middle class worker.  Bartleby is fired after “The lawyer simply assumes his right to exercise unlimited authority…” (Bartleby). Another cause for Bartleby’s behavior could be explained by the time period it was written.  Innovation was causing workers to lose their jobs to machinery and as a result workers had to make a modification to their career and their lifestyle.  This lifestyle included relocating and accepting the truth that they would have trouble moving up in their social status.  As Bartleby states, “I would prefer not to” (Melville 482), he challenges the idea of change.  In “Young Goodman Brown,” Young Goodman Brown’s wife, Faith, represents his Faith to God.  As he leaves his home, he says goodbye to his wife Faith, but also to his Faith in God.  His faith was slowly melting away as “…he looked back and saw the head of Faith still peeping after him with a melancholy air, in spite of her pink ribbons” (Hawthorne 1).  As he enters the woods, he meets a man holding a staff that seemed to be similar to a serpent.  The staff represented evil and the devil.  As he encounters the man he apologizes for his delay and says, "Faith kept me back a while…” (Hawthorne 1).  At a first glance, the reason for his tardiness was his wife, Faith, but its meaning was that his faith in God kept him away from immorality.  As the tale continues, Young Goodman Brown notices his wife’s pink ribbons falling from the sky and as a result he shouts, “My Faith is gone!” (Hawthorne 5).  This is a symbol that his Faith in God is slowly slipping away and will vanish soon.  The next day, “…young Goodman Brown came slowly into the street of Salem village, staring around him like a bewildered man” (Hawthorne 8).  He could not look at his wife and his neighbors the same because of his experience in the woods.  Young Goodman Brown had been tempted by the devil and gave in; just like the story of Adam and Eve.  He had lost his Faith in God, but also his faith in his wife.  Hawthorne constructed “Young Goodman Brown” to heal his guilt he possessed from his family’s history during the Witch Trials.  Hawthorne uses his tale to uphold the dignity of the common man, but also his ancestors.

“Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” and “Young Goodman Brown” may appear to be different, but the further one analyzes the two tales, the more they begin to notice that the pieces share similarities.
