Morality In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

Essay One: Goodman Brown’s Religious Shenanigans
Young Goodman Brown falls prey to his own curiosity, leaving Faith, his wife, behind and following a devilish companion down a path his ancestors have all taken to a dark place in the forest of Salem, Massachusetts. Sounds like an episode of Stranger Things Hawthorne style! Well, in Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” he uses an abundant amount of themes common during the eighteen hundreds such as, the inherent weakness of social morality, flaws that he discerns in the Puritan religion, and profound religious symbolism, to reveal society’s emphasis on religion as hypocritical and unnecessary.
Social morality is morality that is displayed for the benefit of others, we see Goodman Brown on his
Paulits sums it up quite eloquently when he states, “He [Goodman Brown] had refused knowledge of sin because he had thought its possession was evil, and his lifelong imperceptions then casts him into a second ambivalence…because he lives in it in a state of righteousness concerning himself and of condemnation of others-but always agonizing because never complete” (Paulits 4). Social morality, the lack of each individual being left to discover their own faith, having religion enforced like a law, and especially in this story, the hypocrisy of the supposed good and devout people. Goodman Browns devil companion on his journey even mentions “I have been as well acquainted with your family as ever a one among the Puritans; and that’s no trifle to say” (Hawthorne 453) a lead into the everyone around you is a part of this sin why not you too theme. The companion further adds some rather horrible examples of historical events his ancestors have been a part of in very non-Christian ways “I helped your grandfather, the constable, when he lashed the Quaker woman…it was I that brought your father a pitch-pine knot…to set fire to an Indian village in King Phillip’s war. They were my good friends both; and many a pleasant walk have we had along this path” (Hawthorne 453). Clearly the Puritans are not as pure in Hawthorne’s eyes and it shows in the way he brings light to the hypocrisy. A lesser known
Goodman Browns traveling companion is described as “bearing a considerable resemblance to him [Goodman Brown] the only thing about him, that could be fixed upon as remarkable, was his staff” (Hawthorne 453) this companion resembles Goodman Brown aside from the staff Hawthorne is bring up the idea that the devil is just the evil or sinning side of ourselves. The staff itself is described as a staff that “bore the likeness of a great black snake...like a living serpent” (Hawthorne 453). Liebman also says it quite eloquently when he states, “the devil’s staff resembles the biblical serpent” (Liebman 2) Hawthorne is using the symbol of the devil the serpent, it’s referenced in the Garden of Eden as the one that lured Adam and Eve to commit the sin of disobeying God and eating the apple. It’s quite a symbol that is leading Goodman Brown deeper into the dark forest at night. The forest is itself a symbol as well, the Puritan village of Salem is civilization, the forest is the dark uncivilized side. The forest is filled with devils, Indians, and hidden darkness with a path that once left is difficult to find