Young Goodman Brown

A detailed Summary of Young Goodman Brown


Nathaniel Hawthorne's writing reveals the aspects of human nature such as sins, isolation, and quarrels. His writings were inspired by the history of his ancestry, who were involved in burning women accused of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. Many of his stories express allegory in concerning sin and evil, and the ambiguity of dreams versus reality. Stories such as "Young Goodman Brown" display these characteristics of allegorical sin through the forest, and the devil and his staff. Ambiguity is portrayed through Goodman Brown and his wife, Faith.

In "Young Goodman Brown," Hawthorne uses symbols such as the forest, and the devil and his staff to demonstrate allegorical sin. As Goodman Brown started on his "present evil purpose" he took "a dreary road" which was "darkened by all of the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through, and closed immediately behind"(para. 8). Here, Hawthorne illustrates the forest filled with allegorical evil and sin. Brown begins to feel fearful of what lurks in the unknown atmosphere when he states he is not sure "who may be concealed by the innumerable trunks and bou


Furthermore, Hawthorne combines allegory with ambiguity to add more mystery to the story and distinguish between dreams and reality. In Goodman and Faith, he uses this tool through their thoughts. Before Goodman enters the woods, Faith wishes he "would sleep in your (his) own bed to-night" and "a lone woman is troubled with such dreams and such thoughts she's afeard of herself sometimes"(para. 2). This begins the thought process of having dreams and interpreting them to be real or become real. Brown thinks to himself that "there was trouble in her face, as if a dream had warned her that work is to be done to-night"(para. 6), again what is a dream and what could become a dream. At the very part of the story where he thinks he is about to loose Faith in the devilish ritual, he "found himself amid calm night and solitude" and found a twig "that had been all on fire, besprinkled his cheek with the event of dew"(para. 69). This presents transition from the event of the forest with the devil to a very quiet night without anyone around. Now more, Goodman is asking the question if it was really all just a dream. Even the narrator questioned, "had Goodman B

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 778
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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