Nathanial Hawthorne, in the two different, but morally similar stories, "Young Goodman Brown" and "Artist of the Beautiful", shows his opinions on dominant doctrines of society. Hawthorne states that the protagonists in each of the stories struggle to succeed in their emotional and social identities as they choose unconventional paths within their societies. Although Brown and Owen succeed individually in pursuing their ideals, they fail in the eyes of their surrounding societies. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The society in “Young Goodman Brown” strictly follows the rules and principles of its religion. To become an honorable Puritan, you must always distrust yourself and others (4). The entire community adheres to this Puritan doctrine, which requires that each person undergo a conversion experience in which he recognizes his internal faults and sins. Brown, a Puritan waiting to officially join the religion, begins his trial on the conversion experience. As a Puritan, Brown must recognize his unworthiness of God's grace and constantly re-examine himself to ensure his sins are not forgotten (1). If Brown gains membership as a Puritan, he will join the rest of his society in living by Puritan doctrine. Similar to Brown, Owen Warland exists in a society that adheres to the ideals of a specific doctrine. Throughout his career, Owen is the subject of skepticism and scorn due to his efforts to create an interpretation of the Beautiful. His passion for creating Beauty interferes with his life in a society completely dominated by the utilitarian lifestyle. Utilitarian society follows the ideal that all men strive to produce goods that serve a useful purpose in everyday life. The utilitarian doctrine is so widely accepted in Owen's society that even his family hopes "that his strange ingenuity may thus be regulated, and put to utilitarian purposes" (361). Robert Danforth, a blacksmith in Owen's community, is a direct symbol of the utilitarian doctrine. As a blacksmith, he produces many useful goods, unlike Owen, who struggles to complete his only invention. Because of the products Robert consistently manufactures, society sees the product of his labor, and therefore values ​​his utilitarian lifestyle much more than Owen's lifestyle of creating platonic beauty. Throughout Brown's journey, he expresses his hesitation in proceeding towards an encounter with the devil. At the beginning of the conversion experience, Brown is very ashamed to continue into the forest, in which “'the devil himself should be at [his] elbow!'” (27). Brown is afraid that someone might glimpse him interacting with the devil, showing his shame at having undertaken his conversion experience. Despite all this worry, he continues on the Puritan journey to find Satan within himself. However, when Brown reaches the end of his conversion experience and prepares to become an official Puritan, he cannot accept the Puritan belief that man is always evil. His wife, Faith, is the influence on Brown that keeps him pure from the devil. The innocent pink ribbons she wears, along with her spiritual name, symbolize her purity. However, at the end of Brown's conversion experience, he is shocked to see Faith interacting with the devil because he considers her to be the purest person in society. However, Brown resists Satan despite his love of faith, and escapes the conversion experience. Although Brown isn't sure of.