Two stories that you have read in sections A and B of this unit use irony to deliver a message about isolation and alienation. Compare and contrast how Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown" and Wharton's "A Journey" use similar characters, a plot twist, and a symbolic journey to convey the central idea that each man (or woman) struggles alone through life.

Both of these stories deliver a message about isolation and alienation. In "Young Goodman Brown," the protagonist feels misunderstood, confused and isolated when he finds out that his town, and more importantly, his wife, are not what he expected. On the other hand, in "A Journey," the woman is isolated in two different ways. She feels isolated due to the fact that she is a woman, and therefore, is somewhat outside of the public eye. Secondly, she is isolated because of the death of her husband.

The characters experience a crisis of identity when their social reality changes. In the case of Goodman Brown, he realizes that his town is not what it seems when he discovers everyone is impious, which is the plot twist. In "A Journey," the plot twist comes when the woman in the story realizes her husband is dead, but decides not to say anything. This also leads to an identity crisis as she considers what losing her husband means. Both of these stories ultimately show that the characters, as well as all of us, are ultimately alone.

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