Young Goodman Brown

"Young Goodman Brown," a story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, should be interpreted on a psychoanalytical level rather than a religious one. It is my observation that "Young Goodman Brown" may very well be the first published work alluding to divisions of the mind and personality theory. Although religion is a direct theme throughout the story, "Young Goodman Brown" appears to be an allegory with deeper meanings.

As Brown starts on his adventure he recalls that his wife, Faith, had dreams of this particular adventure, dreams that warned him not to go; this feeling of uncertainty sparks a feeling of anxiety in Brown as he continues walking through the forest and on with his journey. As he walks on, the scenery around him begins to change, "He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through, and closed immediately behind." (310). This quote describes the dark and gloomy surroundings that Brown is walking through on his journey, it also creates the mood of fear and hesitance as he continues on his way. Then as Brown is walking along he comes to encounter a man dressed in grave and decent attire. The man states "You are late, Goodman Brown," and Brown replies by saying, "Faith kept me back awhile." (310) In literal terms he is speaking of his wife, but metaphorically he could be speaking of his faith in god and how it almost kept him from embarking on his journey. Hawthorne creates many metaphors in his story of "Young Goodman Brown." Later on in Brown's journey he meets a man with a cane that resembles a snake, the serpent is a symbol of evil, and then when Brown protests against the devil, "With heaven above, and Faith below, I will yet stand firm

   Faith is believing what you can’t see or touch. Faith is knowing something especially when there is no proof to back it up. “Young Goodman Brown” is a story about a man who leaves his wife, Faith, home alone for a night while he journeys with the devil down the road of temptation. During the course of his journey, the man sees many people who seem out of place, including his wife. When he returns home to Salem, he is a changed man. In this story, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism and characterization in order to imply that when an individual loses faith in the goodness of mankind, that individual may conclude that mankind (including friends and family) has given in

Young Goodman Brown is a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Written in 1835, the story deals with a late night meeting between a man and the Devil. On the surface this is all the story is, but if one looks closer one would find the story to be littered with symbolic images.

Though they both left due to discrepant dilemmas they both dwelled of their spouses through out their trip. Mary writes, “I asked him about the welfare of my husband. He told me he saw him such a time in the Bay, and he was well, but very melancholy. By which I certainly understood (though I suspected it before) that whatsoever the Indians told me respecting him was vanity and lies.”(13th remove) Likewise, Goodman Brown dreaded the evening he left Faith to the forest on his errand and admits, "Poor little Faith!" thought he, for his heart smote him. What a wretch am I to leave her on such an errand!” In a time of despair and treachery they both remain nonchalant by simply reminiscing of their fellow love. Mary contemplates of her “husband and father, and children, and sisters, and friends, and relations, and house, and home, and many comforts of this life,” and Young Goodman Brown thought of, “Faiths aptly named, thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink

In “Young Goodman Brown,” there is a fight between good and evil with one main character being torn between the two sides and every other character seemingly on one side or the other through the reader’s view, although many characters do deceive Goodman Brown about whether they are good or evil. This fight between the two sides and the deception that causes confusion for Goodman Brown is the source of tension throughout the entire story. In “Young Goodman Brown,” every character’s traits and dialogue, the setting, and even colors mentioned have double meanings and are symbolic to the main binary oppositions of either good or evil.

But it was too late the devil has succeeded and Goodman Brown loses his Faith to the wickedness of the dark world by the people of Salem

He takes one final stand and says he will not go any further. “What if a wretched old woman do choose to go to the devil when I thought she was going to heaven: is that any reason why I should quit my dear Faith and go after her?” (Hawthorne 7) The devil told him to rest and to take his staff to help him along. He threw Goodman Brown his staff and disappeared. Goodman Brown feels good about him resisting going any further on the errand, but it has clearly taken a toll on him to see this wickedness in the lady who taught him his beliefs. While he is sitting there he hears the voice of the minister saying that he would not miss this meeting tonight and “Moreover, there is a goodly young woman to be taken into communion.” (Hawthorne 8) This really made Goodman Brown question his faith in God. “He looked up to the sky, doubting whether there really was a heaven above him.” (8) He tries to convince himself to stay strong. “With heaven above and Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil!” (8) As he looked up to the sky a cloud covered the stars through the opening of the trees. This represents his faith being shrouded and overwhelmed by the darkness in the

     In Young Goodman Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the tale of a man and his discovery of evil. Hawthorne’s primary concern is with evil and how it affects Young Goodman Brown. Through the use of tone and setting, Hawthorne portrays the nature of evil and the psychological effects it can have on man. He shows how discovering the existence of evil brings Brown to view the world in a cynical way. Brown learns the nature of evil and, therefore, feels surrounded by its presence constantly.

The mood portrayed throughout the entirety of this short story is haunting, hopeless, and even disappointing. Brown is a character that seems to be driven by disappointment at the point in which the quote above takes place. When Brown is with the second traveler, he is fully aware he is the evil one and could easily deal with that idea. However, his problem comes in when he runs into evil in the people he has always held on a pedestal. Hawthorne writes, “We have been a race of honest men and good Christians” (Hawthorne 4).

In the short story “Young Goodman Brown,” The author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, creates a suspenseful and mysterious theme throughout the story in order to hold the reader’s attention. Nathaniel hawthorne shows that idealistic faith in a person could lead to disillusionment, doubt, and fear revolves around Goodman Brown and his journey through the forest of All Hollows Eve to witness a witches’ Sabbath. Young Goodman Brown’s faith is taken aback during his journey, as he sees people that he has a high amount of respect for attending and participating in the witches’ Sabbath. As Goodman Brown’s journey in the forest unravels, he discovers a lot of things which cause his mentality and faith to completely change. Before the Goodman’s big discovery, this story opens with Goodman stressing about a task that he must accomplish before sunrise

He is being tested in his spiritual belief as he continues down the road with the devil, and is shown the people whom he believed were holy were actually spiraling in hypocrisy. (Pg.9) "A stern, a sad, a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a desperate man did he become from the night of that fearful dream. On Sabbath day, when the congregation were singing a holy psalm, he could not listen because an anthem of sin rushed loudly upon his ear and drowned all the blessed strain." Although, he manages to pull back from the evil omen he no longer has faith again in anyone or anything. He lives in paranoia for the rest of his life not trusting a single soul because he has come to believe everyone is associated with the

When Goodman Brown starts his journey, he is symbolically leaving behind his wife, Faith, and his faith in his religion. They are two things he is consciously aware of, until ironically after his journey. The faith Goodman Brown has in his wife and religion, however, are the only two things that temporarily hold him back from his journey. "Faith kept me back a while," he replies to the traveller (the devil) in the forest. The devil ignores him and says, "Come, Goodman Brown, this is a dull pace for the begining of the journey,". He is in Goodman Brown's concsience, telling him to take this journey and test his faith; so that he can alter his perceptions along the way. He wants Goodman Brown to ignore his religious faith, and his wife, and continue on his journey. Goodman Brown is partially wiery of this

Throughout the story we see how Browns character transforms from good to evil and his attempts in resisting his nature. In “Young Goodman Brown,” Goodman Brown’s characterization is presented as innocent, righteous, and faithful, however, as the story develops the reader realizes that this isn’t an exact portrayal of his nature or that of the people he believed to walk on the right path, but rather a testament of the lost faith and innocence in the characters and Nathaniel Hawthorne himself.

In “Young Goodman Brown,” the protagonist vacillates over the innate goodness of those surrounding him, particularly his wife, Faith. Faith is described as inherently sweet, her pink ribbons blatantly illustrating both her youthful and innocent character. The story begins with Brown parting ways with his newly married wife, proclaiming he must embark on an indispensable journey. Upon his descent, Faith pleads with her husband to remain home...” pr'ythee, put off your journey until sunrise, and sleep in your own bed to-night.” In response, Brown is quite patronizing. “Poor little Faith!” he cries in a deliberately dehumanizing manner. In addition to this, he mentions he sees the head of Faith peeping after him, “with a melancholy air,” this insinuating she is incompetent; incapable of spending the night without him. It is this journey that sparks a revelation within Brown in which his true feelings regrading Faith are revealed.