Jessica (Bebe) Dake
ENGL1102
Dr. Strickland
3:30 T/Th The short story Young Goodman Brown written by Nathaniel Hawthorne follows the protagonist Goodman Brown on his venture to meet someone late at night, in the woods. To condense, Goodman finds himself on a steady spiral into a state of confusion and madness. By the end of the story he seems to believe that everyone around him is evil. Nathaniel Hawthorne expresses his story through personal meaning and elements such as character change, theme, mood, and symbolism. The setting takes place in Salem Massachusetts, the same place where the author was born and raised. Hawthorne’s ancestors partook in the Salem witch trials and his great-grandfather whom judged the trials was directly responsible
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His wife Faith, is symbolized as the overall good. Faith represents religion, purity, and holiness. As the story goes on, and Goodman sees those around him consenting into darkness (Whether the devil’s ceremony is Goodman’s dream or not is left up to the reader) his last string holding onto his beliefs breaks when he believes that Faith has also spiraled into sin. Faith’s name itself implies divinity and when she ironically becomes wicked, Goodman begins his paranoia of those around him, as his last hope is gone. Another character that largely inflicts Goodman Brown is the older man he meets with in the woods, also inferred to as the Devil. While describing the old man, Hawthorne illustrates him as very similar in looks compared to Goodman, he says, “…bearing a considerable resemblance to him, though perhaps more in expression than features. Still, they might have been taken for father and son.” The Devil has no unique features about him, he looks very regular and the author connects him with Goodman by their similar physical features. With the Devil’s ordinary appearance, he symbolizes the wickedness in all mankind, and with the similarities to Goodman, perhaps the wickedness in Goodman as well. The Devil creates a frightening scenario for Goodman by giving him his staff to take him to the wicked ceremony, showing him that those who he trusted have