Young Goodman Brown

Summary



Young Goodman Brown is a story about a young man who is sure of his purity and the purity of other members of his congregation. Brown is married to a woman named Faith whom he leave behind when he enters the dark forest for a test. When Brown enters the forest he is greeted by a mysterious man whom is later identified as the Devil. As Brown and the Devil walk through the forest, they, or the Devil, runs into towns people that are on their way to a meeting. While the Devil talks with these travelers, Brown watches from afar, appalled by the sight of his godly companions associating with the Devil. Night falls on the forest and Brown proceeds to the meeting of the towns people, deep within the forest, to find that they are worshiping the Devil in a sacrilegious

witch ceremony. As the ceremony culminates, he sees his Faith initiated into the group and is himself invited into the group. The ceremony ends and all the people dissapear leaving Brown to wonder if he had imagined it or not.





Interpretation



The interpretation of the story is entirely an internal struggle for Brown. Because Brown leaves his "Faith" behind when he is tested by the Devil, he loses his faith to the worship of the Devil. I also see Hawthorne as emphasizing the fact that not all people are as perfect as they seem,especially those that appear to be very devoted to Christianity. The story is an obvious stab at religious belief and those that practice it in a way that is not congruent with the teachings of the religion. I view the story as internal; a fight between good and evil within Brown and how he views the world because of his struggle. I also think that the story is pointing out the corruption that good can have on a person by warping their view of the world into something that it never can, nor ever will be. Life is full of sin just as every person sins, therefore the world will never be as place of heavenly bliss nor will people be as good as they wish to be.

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