Young Goodman Brown Summary

She describes Goodman Brown as a Puritan that looked for trouble in the way that he went into the woods and had contact with the devil and much more with his own pride. Goodman Brown’s journey was more like a trip to an inferno or haunted scenario. Johnson mentions how Goodman Brown hears the hymns of hell but was actually similar to those from church. Another thing said is that Goodman Brown later sees people from Salem, like the minister, Goody Cloyse, and the Deacon. In reality or better said, inside Goodman Brown’s mindset those people could of have had connection with the devil and practice witchcraft. Goodman Brown belief is that one and he is set to confront all the evil spirits as a good Puritan, but he breaks down when he sees the pink ribbon in the sky that made him feel infamy in his wife Faith. Maybe the pink ribbon was a sign of innocence (WHITE) and guilt (RED.) After he begins losing his faith it is the time when we see Goodman Brown come down into his loss in God’s power and devils power over him and others. Johnson’s article helps out to understand more of what happened in the story and its connection to the Puritan religion aside from the feelings of man. I believe this article is supportive just not quite informal to looking more on Puritanism obsession with the

Goodman Brown stated in the story that he came from a line of good Christian men, so he most likely knows the difference from wrong and right. In the eyes of the Puritans, his first shortfall is when he decides to take the journey in the woods. On this journey, he falls more and more into temptation. Every time he said he was going to turn back to go home, the older man always convinced him to keep going deeper into the woods. Humans have the freewill to decide what they want. Goodman Brown could have easily resisted temptation and went back home but the temptation to go deeper into the woods kept him from doing so. As the good Christian man, he is presented to be, Goodman Brown knows should not have be taking a journey into the wood. Even Faith, his wife warned him not to go into the woods because she knew something was not right about it. We as human being imperfect, we sin daily even the righteous make mistakes that cause them to fall short of their religious beliefs.

Goodman Brown in the short story “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne goes on a journey into the woods to meet a stranger which ultimately changes his life. His blind faith in his religion makes him believe that all people are good. Goodman Brown is a trusting, naive man in the beginning if the story but witnesses a witch ceremony that changes his personality drastically. Seeing his family and his neighbors taking part in the sinful act changes his outlook on life and his outlook on their personalities as well. Brown’s blind faith in people and his naivety make the shock of what he sees in the woods turn him into an untrusting, paranoid man.

He goes anyway. This trip will lead to the guilt that Goodman Brown will feel for the rest of his life. Goodman Brown goes into the forest to meet a man which we later find out is the devil. He was late because his wife had kept him in town. "You are late Goodman Brown." (p.383) He replies "Faith kept me back" (p.383), which is ironic because his wife Faith really kept him back that day, but his religious faith also kept him from confronting the devil previously. Goodman Brown follows the man or devil through the forest which leads to an open field. This is presumed to resemble The Garden of Eden. He sees the whole town there including his wife worshiping the devil. On his return to the town, Goodman Brown cannot look at anyone. The life that he knew before this journey was over and would never be the same. He didn't go to church or talk to barely anyone because of his guilt for going to worship the devil. When he died, "there was no hopeful verse upon his tombstone for his dying hour was gloom" (p. 391) This is like the "The Minister's Black Veil" showing that someone must live and breathe everyday knowing of the sin that they have committed.

In Young Goodman Brown, Goodman Brown is on a path describe as “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.”(Hawthorne p 8) Symbolizing his entrance into an evil place through the gloom and darkness. While on this path he meets a traveller on the road who tries to tempt him to come to the assembly with him. When Brown argues that his family had always been virtuous the man explains all the sins of his forefathers, and the hypocrisy of the puritans whom all claim to be virtuous. He explains his

The story of ?Young Goodman Brown? exemplifies the struggle of one man?s internal conflict of good and evil. The main character, Goodman Brown, leaves Salem village and his wife, Faith, to travel into the depths of the dark forest. The Young Goodman Brown will be aged with the knowledge he faces in this one night. Brown keeps his appointment with the devil in the forest, and he must choose to go back to his ?faith,? or explore the evils that the devil has to offer. Next, Brown is confronted with the virtuous people who live in his community, who will be attending the witch?s meeting with the devil. He has to decide if he will follow them along this

Young Goodman Brown then finds himself alone in the forest, wondering whether he has awakened from a dream or if he really did attend the witches’ sabbath. Brown chooses to believe that his dream is true, and that everyone around him is involved in witchcraft. “The next morning, young Goodman Brown came slowly into the street of Salem village staring around him like a bewildered man.” (Paragraph 70) Because of this, Brown spends the remainder of his life being, "A stern, a sad, a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a desperate man” (Paragraph 75). Goodman Brown now looks for the devil behind every bush and in the hearts of all those around him, never recognizing that his own soul is now hopelessly corrupt and blind to the light and goodness of God. The forest, the devil and his staff, and Faith and her pink ribbons are the main points to prove young Goodman Brown of a story full of symbolism. There is no doubt that the traveler meeting Brown is the devil and the devils staff is clearly the symbol of a serpent. Faith is both Brown’s wife and religion. The pink ribbons discussed are symbolized as innocence because his faith in God is the right thing to do. Unlike following the devil, which led Brown to sin and guilt. “Ha! ha! ha!” roared Goodman Brown, when the wind laughed at him. “Let us hear which will laugh loudest! Think not to frighten me

Goodman Brown fell asleep in the forest and was dreaming. I believe he was dreaming and that all that all the stories of witches, curses, and religion played a part in his dream. Salem, Massachusetts is well known for the Salem Witch Trials. In the text it says that Brown fell asleep so it is most likely that he dreamt this whole situation. In his dream, religious figures Deacon Gookin and the minister were going to the ceremony. At the ceremony, he saw everyone he knew was turning evil, but decided to stay with God for Faith. If Deacon Gookin, the minister, and Faith were for God before he left into the forest why would they change their religious views at the

The story Young Goodman Brown is about a man and his faith in himself, his wife, and the community they reside in. Goodman Brown must venture on a journey into the local forest, refuse the temptations of the devil, and return to the village before sunrise. The time era is approximately a generation after the time of the witch trials. Goodman Brown's struggle between good and evil is a struggle he does not think he can face. He reiterates his false confidence to himself repeatedly.

Goodman Brown is also very suspicious and mistrusting of his wife and does not acknowledge her when he sees her. "..But Goodwin Brown looked sternly and sadly into her face, and passed on without a greeting." After witnessing the meeting with the Devil, Goodman Brown has a different view of the people in Salem and society as a whole. He originally viewed many people as trustworthy because they were very religious, and gave the illusion of being trustworthy. After witnessing the meeting, his views changed and he became very suspicious of them. Goodman Brown's view of society as a whole also changed. Many people at the meeting were members of Salem who were held in high regard. After seeing these people there, Goodman started to question many things about society and became very suspicious and mistrusting of many people in Salem. Goodwin Brown realized that many people are not who they pretend to be. “A stern, a sad, a darkly meditative, and distrustful, if not desperate man did he become.”

Later that day, he went in the gloomy forest to be in the ceremony in which he wanted no parts of. As he travels deeper into the forest, he meets with a man who so happens to be the devil. The old man shows Goodman the truth about his family, some of the villages, and his wife. Goodman Brown now sees how they are not true Christian as they swear to be, instead they preach the evil. Young Goodman Brown goes back to the village with fear. Although, he does not know if it was a dream, he no longer looks at anyone the

Then comes the second impending question of whether or not the story even happened; whether or not the tale was a dream, or an actual occurrence in the life of Goodman Brown. Entering the text, there is no conclusive evidence of a dream state. It states, "Young Goodman Brown came forth at sunset, into the street at Salem village. (375)" Simply speaking, Goodman Brown sets forth upon a journey complete with a clearly stated beginning and an end. However, the middle is left for one to question. Once in the forest, the story begins to offer characteristics that would not relate to a truthful tale in the conscious state by Goodman Brown. This mostly due to Goodman Brown encountering

“Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne can be interpreted in one of two ways. Some people believe it was all just one big bad dream, others believe it actually happened. Either way you interpret it can be right, there isn’t a right or wrong answer, you just have to support your answers. I believe that it was all a dream, and Young Goodman Brown woke up with a completely corrupt mind that cost him his life. This is because Goodman Brown’s good friends never even acknowledged him, his wife who wanted him to stay home was out there, and everything was normal when he woke up.

Ronan states Goodman Brown is “both a Hawthorne and a son of Burroughs—“ the holy man” whose hanging is portrayed in “Main-street” as the ultimate symbol of the witch trials’ injustice”( Ronan 279). As Goodman Brown continues to walk with this older man he starts to get nervous say “too far too far!’ exclaimed Goodman, unconsciously resuming his walk” (Hawthorne 388). Although Goodman Brown knows what he is doing is wrong, he continues walking in the woods with the traveler. Goodman Brown states “My father never went into the woods on such an errand, nor his father before him. We have been a race of honest men and good Christians, since the days of the martyrs. And shall I be the first of the name Brown, that ever took this path”(Hawthorne 388). Again, the importance of family history in the role of guilt regarding Puritan values and practices emerges as the traveler enlightens Goodman Brown about his father and grandfather. The traveler states “ I helped your grandfather, the constable [lash a] Quaker women smartly through the streets of Salem...I brought your father a pitch-pine knot, kindled at my own hearth, to set fire to an Indian village, in King Philip’s war” (Hawthorne 388). This is also the first time when the reader sees the traveler as more than a normal man, but the devil.

Most people think that the majority of people walking the face of the earth are morally good with a few bad apples here and there. In the short story Young Goodman Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses setting, characters, and plot to show how everyone can be drawn out of their usual character when they are governed by their evil desires.