Written two centuries apart, “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “Where Are You Going; Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates are two apparently different stories. However, when looked at closely, it is possible to connect several elements together. Each story has a similar point of view, but the story is told from two different perspectives. Several themes are unique to the stories, but deep similarities can be found. The authors end their stories in two different ways, but the endings are somewhat the same. These two stories contain obviously contrasting, but at the same time comparable, elements. Since each story is written in a third-person narrative form, the reader gets to know the protagonists' innermost feelings and watches the main characters change. The reader learns how Brown feels as he thinks to himself, “What a wretch I am to leave her with such an errand!” In "Where Are You Going", the narrator provides much of Connie's feelings, as in the first paragraph, "she knew she was pretty and that was all." However, in Young Goodman Brown, “the point of view subtly oscillates between the narrator and the title character. As a result, readers are privy to Goodman Brown's deepest and darkest thoughts, while also sharing an objective view of his behavior” (Themes and Construction: Young 2). The point of view of “Young Goodman Brown” contrasts with that of “Where Are You Going” because “This narrative voice remains closely aligned with Connie's point of view” (Themes and Construction: Where 2). Despite the subtle contrast, both points of view allow the reader to see the changes in Brown and Connie; Brown loses his faith and Connie loses herself. Point of view also affects how the reader sees other characters... in the center of the paper... almost nothing like that from a superficial look. The stories have different historical contexts and simply don't have much in common for the average audience. It is easy to compare stories, but within some elements the stories can be connected in different ways. WORKS CITED Lawthorne, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown." The literature network. March 15, 2008 Oates, Joyce Carol. "Where are you going, where have you been?" Celestial clock. July 2007. University of San Francisco. March 15, 2008. “Themes and Construction: 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'.” EXPLORING Short Stories. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Discovering the collection. Storm. Bismarck State University Library. March 15, 2008 "Themes and Construction: 'Young Goodman Brown'." EXPLORING Short Stories. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Discovering the collection. Storm. Bismarck State University Library. March 28. 2008 .