Young Goodman Brown - Essay Example

Young Goodman Brown Young Goodman Brown is a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1835. This story takes placein the second half of the seventeenth century in Salem New England. The story revolves around a married man, Goodman, who has to face a decision of either staying home with his wife, Faith or to take off on the journey leaving all that he thought was good and true behind in order to find the truth about the people of his community. He decides to go on this journey in the middle of the night through a forest.

His wife urges him not to go alone because she knew that something suspicious was going on but he wanted to discover the truth even though he feared his own actions. It was clear that he was having second thoughts about his journey as he says, “…. Methought as she spoke there was trouble in her face, as if a dream had warned her what work is to be done tonight. But no, no; 't would kill her to think it” (Young Goodman Brown, Web). His willingness to go on this journey shows his desire of finding out answers about his life as well as Puritan beliefs.

After meeting his fellow traveler who asked him about being late, Goodman replies by saying, “Faith kept me back a while," (Young Goodman Brown, Web). By faith, Goodman either meant his wife or even his belief and faith in God which required him not to go on this journey. In the story of Young Goodman Brown, the character of Goodman Brown is driven by his own desire of discovering the truth about his fellow members of the Puritan community. The setting of this story is such that Goodman starts imagining fear and evil everywhere along his route in the forest.

He says, “There may be a devilish Indian behind every tree… What if the devil himself should be at my very elbow!" (Young Goodman Brown, Web). The whole forest is portrayed as being evil and wicked. The inner feelings of fear of Goodman were further haunted by the darkness in the forest. The evil in the forest has such an immense effect on Goodman that he got completely lost in it. There were times when his whole personality changed and he went deep into the darkness and uncertainty. But through out his time in the forest, he was guided by his sense of belief in God which helped him during his journey.

His unwavering trust and belief in God is shown when he says, “"With heaven above and Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil!" (Young Goodman: the close lane, Web). Conflict is important for the development of characters as well as the plot of a story. The main conflicts of this story include the journey in the forest made by Goodman, his wife, Faith, the devil, the old woman and the minister. Goodman`s fears are further enhanced after he saw the serpent shaped staff in the hands of his fellow traveler, the devil.

This is shown when the devil says, “"Come, Goodman Brown…this is a dull pace for the beginning of a journey. Take my staff, if you are so soon weary." (Young Goodman Brown, Web). This shows that Goodman was hesitant about this journey with the devil. Another conflict of this story occurred with the appearance of his wife in the forest which forces Goodman to come to the conclusion that everyone, including his wife, his friends, neighbors and family is guilty and the spread of evil has affected everyone.

(Young Goodman: the close lane, Web). The name of the main character, Goodman Brown, carries its own symbolic meaning. Young may signify the innocence of this character or his way of thinking which might be immature. Goodman could represent that he was an honest man with pure thoughts and feelings. As brown is a color which lies between white and black, it could be perceived as portraying hypocrisy of his fellow neighbors and friends. (Young Goodman: the close lane, Web). According to a scholar, this story is divided into three main parts.

The first one is the life and relationships of Goodman with his wife and his community. The second part constitutes of his journey into the forest where he is forced to decide between good or bad and God or satin. The final part of the story involves around the return of Goodman Brown from his journey. The fact that Goodman passed her wife without any greetings shows that he had lost all his faith in the people of his community. At the end of the story, the author describes that the journey had such an enormous effect on Goodman that he did not trust anyone not even his wife and when he died, “they carved no hopeful verse upon his tombstone, for his dying hour was gloom” (Young Goodman Brown, Web).

Works Cited "Young Goodman Brown (by NathanielHawthorne, 1835)." Eldritch Press. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2012. . The Literature Network: Online classic literature, poems, and quotes. Essays & Summaries. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2012. . "Analysis of Hawthorne`s Young Goodman Brown." Yahoo voices. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2012. . "Young Goodman Brown: The Close Lane." academic journals. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2012. .