“Young Goodman Brown” Symbolism by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Introduction
Young Goodman Brown is a classic story written in 1835 by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and it was set in the 17th century during the Salem witch trials. The story is a kind of disillusionment that the main character finds that the whole society is hiding a lot of information from him (Hawthorne 227). He questions his religious beliefs his family and even the entire community. All people in Salem are accusing each other of being a witch, and the story is set during the Puritan period mainly regarding the church of England, and the story is questioning the faith of all people even Brown a member of this church. The story has several characters such as Goodman Brown the protagonist, Faith who is Goodman’s wife, the old man also called the devil, Goody Cloyse who is a woman citizen and also a member of the church who guides people to learn the bible, but she reveals herself to be a witch. The minister a member of the church a respected man in the community but he is also a follower of the devil. Last is Deacon Gookin a clergyman in Salem a respected man in church and brown sees him a respectable good, religious man but still he is a devil follower. All these characters and their behaviors are revealed to Goodman Brown in one night when travelling, and through his curiosity, he accepts
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The mysterious man invited Brown to an evil ceremony held in the middle of the forest, and it is during the event that he realized the real characters of the people in the Salem who are either witches or devil