LITERATURE GUIDE – Young Goodman Brown
Young Goodman Brown
by Nathaniel Hawthorne
1835, Mosses From and Old Manse
PLOT SUMMARY & SETTING
Setting:Salem in the colony of Massachusetts, in the 1600's, though clearly around the time of the witch trials
(1692). NOTE: Salem was originally founded under the name Naumkaeg, but was changed to Salem in 1626. It was called
Salem after the holy city of Jerusalem (which means „city of peace‟ – Salem is a slurring of the Hebrew word, „Shalom‟, meaning
„peace‟)
It is dusk in the village of Salem, Massachusetts, a community of god-fearing Puritans. At the threshold of the front
door of his house, a young man named Goodman Brown kisses his wife, Faith, goodbye and is about to embark on a
journey into the forest, which he will not return from until the next morning. Faith begs him to stay, claiming, “A
lone woman is troubled with such dreams and such thoughts that she’s afeard of herself sometimes.” Pray tarry with
me this night, dear husband, of all nights in the year.” Clearly, the night in particular is of some importance. Young
Goodman Brown reassures his wife that all will be well and that she should trust him. Faith‟s reply is somewhat
ominous, “may you find all well when you come back.”
What activity would lure him away from his pretty wife, whom he married three months before, and into
the dark and menacing uncertainty of the woods? It is a witches‟ sabbath, a meeting at which he and others from
Salem and surrounding communities are to be inducted into an evil brotherhood. It may be simple curiosity that
motivates Brown; after all, would it not be interesting to see witches performing their rituals before a blazing fire?
After all, he has been raised to believe that the woods at night is an evil place, though (as we learn later) he is naïve
concerning evil, so his curiosity could certainly have been piqued. On the other hand, it could be the challenge of
braving the forest and confronting the temptation posed by evil forces. Then, too, Goodman Brown may truly wish
to join the evil brotherhood (though his later actions put this in doubt).
In the forest, he meets a mysterious man with a staff resembling a snake, it is a man that he had compacted
to meet with. The man appears well dressed and refined, seemingly in his early 50‟s. The serpent staff clearly marks
him as a devil figure. The man chides Goodman Brown for being late. Young Goodman Brown responds by saying,
“Faith kept me back awhile.” Brown also tells the mysterious traveler that he will not journey further into the woods.
The traveler seems unruffled by this, but asks Goodman Brown to walk with him and discuss his reasons for
changing his mind. Young Goodman Brown gives three reasons for his decision. The first is that his family has
always been respected and never entered into any such deals, and he does not want to be the first who ruins his
family‟s name. The traveler responds that he was good friends with Brown‟s grandfather and father, helping them
whip a Quaker woman and burn down an Indian village (respectively). This unsettles Brown, but he continues on
with his second reason: he wouldn‟t be able to look the pious people of the town, particularly Deacon Gookin, in the
eye without feeling shame. The traveler laughs at this and again explains that Brown has nothing to worry about. He
tells Brown that he is also good friends with the Deacon and the minister as well as other highly respected people
from Salem. Young Goodman Brown‟s final reason is that his continuing would break his wife‟s heart, and he
couldn‟t bear that. Oddly, the traveler offers no reason to set that aside and even replies, “. . . go thy ways, Goodman
Brown. I would not for twenty old women like the one hobbling before us that faith should come to any harm.” At
this point, they see Goody Cloyse, who had taught Young Goodman Brown his catechism. Young Goodman Brown
hides behind some trees so as not to be seen by her. The traveler approaches her and she proclaims him to be the
devil, and is apparently good friends with him. After she leaves, the traveler offers him his staff (a second one, made
from a branch), but Brown refuses to go any further. The traveler vanishes.
Young Goodman Brown praises himself for his willpower and is proud of how he‟ll be able to hold his
head high in the community after defeating such temptation. However, as he sits in the woods, more people from
town pass by on their way to the witches‟ meeting, including the Salem minister and Deacon Gookin. This weighs
heavily on Young Goodman Brown‟s heart; he is not sure what to make of life at this point. Yet his desire to do the
right thing remains, “With heaven above and Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil!” As a cloud passes
overhead, he thinks he hears voices in the clouds, one in particular catches his attention. It is the voice of a girl
uttering lamentations and seeking some favor, yet encouraged on by an unseen multitude. It is Faith‟s voice. As he
looks up, a pink ribbon drifts down from the cloud to land on the branch of a tree. Young Goodman Brown is in
utter despair; he cries, “My Faith is gone! There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil; for to thee
is this world given.”
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LITERATURE GUIDE – Young Goodman Brown
Young Goodman Brown rages through the forest, “with the instinct that guides all mortal men to evil,” and
in his madness he is the most fearsome creature within the woods. Soon he comes across a clearing, with trees
ablaze and the mysterious traveler, swathed in shadow upon a rock. A large congregation was gathered around, each
member robed and hooded. At the site of the witches‟ meeting, he suffers a terrible shock when he discovers that his
wife – beautiful, innocent Faith – is also there. When a “Shape of Evil” prepares to baptize the newcomers into “the
mystery of sin,” Goodman Brown tells his wife: “Look up to Heaven, and resist the Wicked One.” As soon as those
words pass his lips, he finds himself alone in the forest with only the sound of the wind for company, and Brown
wonders whether he had “fallen asleep, and only dreamed a wild dream of a witch-meeting.”
The next day, after he returns to Salem. He is met by Deacon Gookin who seeks to offer Young Goodman
Brown a blessing, which Brown shies away from. He sees Goody Cloyse lecturing a child on the catechism, and
Brown snatches the child away. He is even darkly suspicious of Faith, who runs out to greet him. Whether his
experience in the woods was real or imaginary, Young Goodman Brown is never the same again; he becomes “a
stern, a sad, a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a desperate man.” After he dies many years later, he is followed
to his grave by Faith, by his children, by his grandchildren, and by neighbors, but “they carved no hopeful verse
upon his tombstone; for his dying hour was gloom.”
MAJOR CHARACTERS
Young Goodman Brown – (Goodman is a title comparable to Mister) Recently married Puritan living in Salem in
the 1600‟s. Brown heads into the woods to attend a witches‟ sabbath. It is unclear as to why. It could be out of
curiosity (much like Ulysses or Faust, whose curiosity prods them to seek knowledge) or out of a sense of
rebellion from established beliefs and laws. At any rate, his journey in the woods leads to a life of misery,
because of his own flaws/sins. In his pride he places himself above the „sinners‟ in the town and loses his faith.
Also, he is a hypocrite; he blames everyone for their perceived sin but never acknowledges the fact that he
intended to do the same. To seek forgiveness, one must first admit to their own sin – which Brown never does.
Faith – Young wife of Goodman Brown. She attempts to keep him from going out at night, whether out of a
sense of dread for his suspected purpose (to keep him from sinning) or to keep him from knowing the truth is
unclear.
The Devil Figure – A mysterious man who had made a compact (promise) to meet Goodman Brown in the
woods and take him to the witches‟ meeting. He carries a staff in the shape of a serpent, which seems to be alive
at times. It is important that at no time does the mysterious man force Goodman Brown to the meeting, but only
offers his help and encouragement.
Townspeople – Many people from the town, particularly those who Goodman perceives to be good and moral
individuals, particularly the Deacon Gookin and Goody Cloyse (Brown‟s spiritual advisors), are seen traveling
to the witches‟ meeting.
SYMBOLS
Forest as Eden – Brown enters the forest and is there met by the devil, represented as a serpent. Brown
believes he understands righteousness but is curious about evil. The devil encourages/tempts him to seek out
this knowledge. The result of Brown gaining this knowledge is his loss of innocence.
Faith – Brown‟s Faith in God and humanity
The Path Through the Woods – Goodman‟s choice as to what path in life to follow (good or evil)
Pink Ribbons – the tangled view men have toward women (common in Hawthorne), pink is the blending of the
colors red (sin) and white (innocence), Faith (as a woman) is both Brown‟s temptation and salvation; it could
also be taken that the red is passion which may also indicate that innocence and passion are what are needed in
order for man to have faith
Serpent Staff – the devil; seductive nature of evil
LITERARY STYLES & ELEMENTS
Authorial Intrusion – While Hawthorne leaves the theme up to the reader to interpret (wanting the reader to
reflect and be introspective), he also explicitly shares his own opinions on human nature:“The fiend in his own
shape is less hideous than when he rages in the breast of man.” and “Evil is the nature of mankind.”
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LITERATURE GUIDE – Young Goodman Brown
Ambiguity – Hawthorne leaves open to question whether Goodman Brown‟s experience is real or imagined, as
in a dream. Was everyone in the village in league with the devil or was seeing everyone a trick of the devil to
encourage Goodman Brown down the path to evil? Either way, Brown is a hypocrite, however, his
transgression would be far worse if the whole incident had indeed been a dream or trick (if so, Brown could
represent the Puritans: seeing evil in a person who has done no evil).
MOTIFS
Puritan Hypocrisy – The Puritans‟ strict moral code and overemphasis on the sinfulness of humankind foster
undue suspicion and distrust. Goodman Brown‟s experience in the forest (whether dream or reality) causes him
to lose his faith in others and die an unhappy man.
THEMES
Theme #1: The first step in becoming a moral individual is admitting one‟s own guilt. Young Goodman Brown
feels betrayed and lost. Everyone he believed to be honest and righteous turned out to be just another sinner. His
whole world-view collapses. However, in his rush to blame, criticize and judge those of the town, he never stops to
accuse himself. He was in the woods that night as well, out of a sense of curiosity toward evil. He was there for the
same reasons the rest of them went into the woods originally. Yet, he never stops to consider his own sin; he focuses
only on the sins and flaws of those around him. He is unable to find peace because he centers on his sense of
betrayal rather than admitting his own sin and seek absolution for it. If he could own up to his own shame and guilt,
he could gain some measure of inner peace and become a voice for positive change. Instead, he buries his own sin
and guilt deeply, and fixates on the wrongdoing of others.
Theme #2: The realization that evil can infect people who seem upright (the seductive nature of evil). Goodman
Brown discovers that even highly respected people in Salem fall victim to the forces of darkness. Likewise, they fall
because the real threat of evil isn‟t obvious, it is quiet and seductive. Note how the mysterious man in the woods
never forces Brown to attend the meeting, he only encourages him to do what he already intends to do. Evil, or the
devil, simply helps us do what is already in our hearts to do – it comes from within. “I have been as well acquainted
with your family as with ever a one among the Puritans; . . . I helped your grandfather, the constable, when he
lashed the Quaker woman so smartly through the streets of Salem;” This is shown by the use of the serpent as his
symbol. Humans are curious, which means we are inclined to sin. The only thing the devil need do is remove the
„excuses‟ we make for not following our instinct. This view of evil is far more insidious. It places a higher degree of
importance on the little decisions we make everyday; decision we rarely think about, falling back on our emotions or
our innate sense of self. These little, seemingly harmless, decisions add up to dominate our very nature.
Theme #3: Sin is inevitable. Despite Young Goodman Brown‟s attempts to leave the forest and head home, he
ultimately ends up at the witches‟ meeting. His curiosity leads to his eventual sin. Even if he hadn‟t gone that night,
he would have eventually been led back by that same sense of curiosity. This idea brings despair to Young
Goodman Brown, as he says, “My Faith is gone! There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil; for
to thee is this world given.” The devil figure plays on this during the meeting. He speaks of the numerous hidden
sins of those present: adultery by the old men with younger women, women who have secretly poisoned their
husbands, young men who have killed their father‟s for inheritance and how young women have had secret
abortions from illicit affairs. His words are ominous, “Welcome, my children, to the communion of your race. . . . ye
had still hoped that virtue were not all a dream. Now are ye undeceived? Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be
your only happiness.” This is a very anti-transcendental thought, particularly close to Hawthorne‟s belief that only
through sin can we understand goodness. It also places the responsibility for how we handle our sins (whether we
seek to hide them or seek to make amends for them) on ourselves.
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