Young Goodman Brown

Hawthorne’s story is an allegory—a story that reveals hidden meaning and morals—about religious hypocrisy in Puritan New England at the time of the Salem Witch Trials. It is a cautionary tale that explores the dark side of human behavior and sin. The most sinful individuals are those who follow the devil, and they continually lure those who are good, in this case the Puritans who are tasked with maintaining a sin-free society. Hawthorne illustrates that despite following Puritan teachings, even the most faithful individuals are lured to evil, and if they resist, evil will come to them. Though the Puritans seek to dispel individuals “possessed” by the devil, the story suggests that they are as vulnerable to evil as those who willingly follow it. Alternatively, people who question their faith are destined to live an unfulfilling and miserable life.

Goodman Brown loves his wife Faith and is prepared to “cling to her skirts and follow her to Heaven” (1) upon his return. The central conflict, however, is established in the opening paragraphs. Brown wants to remain with Faith, but he is compelled to enter the wilderness on a secret errand that tests his faith in religion and in his community. His curiosity about the woods and its secrets are more powerful than his commitment to his Faith (both his wife and religious beliefs).

Meeting the elder traveler in the forest advances this conflict. Brown does not expect to meet anybody, but the traveler knows Brown and anticipated his journey through the forest. While Hawthorne does not outright refer to the elder traveler as the devil, the traveler, with his serpentine staff, quick speed, and worldly knowledge, symbolizes the devil. It is as if the traveler, or the devil, knows that sooner or later Brown, the innocent God-fearing Puritan, will enter the woods and follow the path to evil.

Hawthorne plays with ambiguity at this point in the story. When Brown questions his journey, the traveler justifies the trip by pointing to several respected religious figures from the village who, like Brown, are also trekking through the forest. However, Brown never actually sees these individuals. He relies on the power of suggestion that the traveler uses to persuade him to continue moving along the path. In the case of Cloyse, Gookin, and the minister, the narrator suggests that Brown hears the voices of these individuals while only seeing shadows of their figures. The narrator says, “neither the travelers nor their steeds were visible” (5), and as Brown processes the scene, he reflects, “he could have sworn, were such a thing possible, that he recognized the voices of the minister and deacon Gookin” (5). Later at the ceremony, Brown is convinced that his father is waving for him to come forward and that his mother is holding him back. However, the narrator again points out that the wavering firelight is distorting the faces of these individuals, causing uncertainty.

This ambiguity allows Brown to decide whether he believes the representatives of his Christianity are truly evil. While the traveler offers a compelling lure to convert Brown to evil, the realization is left up to Brown at the story’s end. Brown continues to doubt the evil, even upon hearing Faith’s voice coming from the ceremony. The ambiguity surrounding Faith’s appearance at the ceremony is cleared up when her veil is removed, and Brown confirms that she is standing next to him. Faith’s clear appearance finally leads Brown to accept the consequences of the experience.

Some of the ambiguity may be explained as Brown dreaming that he is witnessing a witch meeting. At the story’s climax, both Brown and Faith stand before the altar, and an evil figure prepares to welcome them into the community of evil. The narrator says, “herein did the Shape of Evil dip his hand, and prepare to lay the mark of baptism upon their foreheads, that they might be partakers of the mystery of sin” (9). The trees around them burn, people sing hymns, and Brown hears “the yell of Indians” (6). As soon as he calls out for Faith to “Look up to Heaven, and resist the Wicked One!” (9), he finds himself alone in the calm forest, where the rocks are damp and the branches and twigs that had been on fire are wet with a cold dew.

The narrator asks readers a rhetorical question: “Had Goodman Brown fallen asleep in the forest, and only dreamed a wild dream of a witch-meeting?” (9). The reply suggests an obvious revelation that “alas! it was a dream of evil omen for young Goodman Brown” (10). However, the dream so profoundly impacts Brown that when he returns to Salem village, he cannot trust the people he once held in high regard. The narrator reveals that “[o]ften, awaking suddenly at midnight, he shrank from the bosom of Faith” (10). Given Faith’s dual identity as Brown’s wife and the symbol of his faith, this suggests that his religious conviction is shaken. Thus, while Brown lives a long life, it marked by misery and fear. The journey into the wilderness revealed the hypocrisy of his beliefs and the inherent evil of humanity, and now that he knows the truth of his faith, he is forever a changed man.