Young Goodman Brown

The story "Young Goodman Brown" takes place in Salem, during the famous witch trials. At the beginning of the story, Goodman Brown is leaving to take an unknown trip. Faith begs him not to leave, for the fact that she gets scared while being alone. Nevertheless, she's afraid her mind might wander to a dark and evil side that she cannot control. Goodman Brown tells her that if she remains faithful to prayer, no evil will come to trouble her. He then leaves Faiths side and is on his way. Walking down a dark road, Goodman Brown lets his own mind travel to a dark place, scared that something is behind the trees and the devil is watching over him. Walking through

Young Goodman Brown must leave behind his known world, Salem village, and enter an unknown world, the forest, to face challenges he must be capable of overcoming. Allegorically, he embarks on a psychological and spiritual odyssey. Entering an unknown territory is scary and puts a person at a much higher physical and emotional risk. "There may be a devlish Indian behind every tree" shows how insecure Young Goodman Brown is in the forest because he is exposing himself to danger, which in this case, is evil itself (pg. 88). He must stay strong and overcome his weaknesses to get past his biggest fears and continue his Hero's journey. Goodman Brown is tempted to turn around and go home, but he sticks it out, and continues onward. Goodman Brown remarks, "What if the devil himself should be at my very elbow!" just before noticing a man, similar in appearance to himself, sitting under a tree (pg. 88). This man speaks as if he was expecting Brown

Young Goodman Brown (YGB) is tempted by the devil throughout the story to remind the reader what is feeding the lie to him. The “dark one” is an allegory to the devil, dressed darkly with a serpent shaped staff. Young Goodman Brown discusses why he thinks he is making a mistake when the “dark one” tells him that it is okay to go into the woods because his father and grandfather both did before him. This statement by the traveller begins a whirlwind of a mixture of lie and truth, confusing Young Goodman Brown. While he is tempted with the concept of “everybody’s doing it,” the reader realizes that just because others before us have made mistakes does not mean the mistakes are justifiable for us to

His curiosity leads him to believe witches are in the forest having a meeting. Brown is a character who has a big belief in his religion. Then he finds out that there are many witches among him. This makes Brown not know who to trust. “Among them quivering to and fro between gloom and splendor, appeared faces that would be seen next day at the council.”

The experience in the forest changed his way on how Goodman Brown thinks of all the people in his community. When he returns home from the forest the next morning. Every person he passed they all suddenly seem evil to him. When he passes the minister who blesses him, he refuses the blessing, and then he calls the Deacon a wizard. He then sees Goody studying with a young girl on bible verses, and he snatched the girl away.

1. Goodman Brown is headed to the forest after the sunset. 2. In the text you can tell that Brown’s destination is a scary one when the narrator describes; “he had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees in the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through, and closed immediately behind.”

As the story opens, Young Goodman Brown is about to enter the forest to partake upon an "evil purpose." He leaves behind his sweet, pretty,

As they pass he conceals himself from her in the ominous forest. This being weird considering, he had known her since his youth. As well as, her being in the forest shows her being evil almost like a witch.. Brown then heard “two grave old voices coming near”. Then he claims he was vexed and it has not made since.

There is nothing but black all around the forest. Only the stars shine bright as the dark trees and path calls forth the treacherous Indians and shadows of the night. Bushes close behind as mysterious sounds race underfoot. There is even a smidge of black in the good man’s heart, whose owner is walking through the sea of dark with an equally, if not more, serpent-like staff carrying dark companion. This respectable man is Young Goodman Brown, as portrayed in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman Brown”. The forest is only a small part of the setting, as this also takes place in a village in Salem Massachusetts and surrounding area the year 1692. The mood is heavy with superstition, confusion, doubt, betrayal, and shallowness.

Young Goodman Brown leaves his wife to embark on a journey of self-discovery to explore his dark side. Brown knows he is going to meet the Devil in the dark forest that states that he is familiar with evil. He is running an errand for the Devil, which is not an ethical activity according to his religion. Brown starts his journey by entering the Devil’s forest with malicious intentions. According to Brown, “There may be a devilish Indian behind every tree," said Goodman Brown to himself; and he glanced fearfully behind him as he added, "What if the devil himself should be at my very elbow!"

He is disturbed by the fact that he “knows not who may be concealed by the innumerable trunks and the thick boughs overhead; so that with lonely footsteps he may yet be passing through an unseen multitude” (2208). This suggests to the reader that he is no longer feeling the comfort and safety he felt at home and is suspicious of what lies ahead. Brown is fearful of his mission even before leaving. However, in leaving the village, he leaves religious order, the familiarity of the scenery, and his beloved Faith. Upon entering the forest, he becomes victim to the possibility of the discovery and consequences of evil. In fact, it is in the forest where evil manifests itself to him in the form of an older man of the same dress and class as Brown. It is this experience which ultimately affects his outlook of the world.

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

The way the theme of evil is shown in Young Goodman brown is through the adventure in the forest. In most stories the forest is always symbolized with a negative effect. It is shown with evil and something bad to become which is the case in Goodman Brown. As he journeys out of his little town to go for his adventure he leave his wife which is named Faith, showing symbolism of evil to come through the adventure through the forest. Predmore states, “As he leaves Faith he knows that hes night journey has an ‘evil purpose’"(251). This shows that Goodman Brown is leaving his faith behind which can be interpreted as his religion to venture out into the forest. This means that the theme of the forest is evil and he comes to danger because he leaves his religious belief (a form of protection) behind to go to a place

Upon entering the forest Goodman Brown is suspicious of every rock and tree, thinking something evil will jump out at him. When he finally does meet someone on the trail, who appears to be of evil origin, he feels confident that he can refuse any temptations. This evil person makes several advances and Goodman refuses. At first Goodman feels confident that he can resist any temptation that the devils throws upon him. Hawthorne describes how closely the devil resembles Goodman. Hawthorne describes them as though they “might have been mistaken for father and son.” The devil resembles him in order to make Goodman feel more comfortable around him. It makes it easier to tell lies and deceive Young Goodman Brown into coming with him to the witch gathering.

Young Goodman Brown was an innocent, corruptly, and doubtful man. At first, he only thought there was goodness inside of his father and grandfather, until the old man tells Goodman Brown that he knew both of them. All the people that he thought were pure, happened to be connected with the devil at one point. Once he found out about everybody that the old man knew, Goodman Brown questioned his beliefs about everything and he was never the same. When Goodman Brown went to the forest, it completely changed his faith and well- being.