Young Goodman Brown Analysis

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts, into a family descendant from the New England Puritans. In the short story, “Young Goodman Brown”, Hawthorne tells us a story about Goodman Brown who goes into the forest at night to protect his wife Faith and also his religious belief. According to Elizabeth Eris, the author of “The Devil, the Body, and the Feminine Soul in Puritan New England” states that “Puritans believed that Satan attacked the soul by assaulting the body and that because women’s bodies were weaker, the devil could reach women’s souls more easily” (Elizabeth 15). This information explains why the author chooses to set up such a situation. Hawthorne also uses many mystery and suspicious detail to keep the attention
of readers. He also shows us that how faith is so important to people, and when their faith is weakened, or taken away, they will live their lives with doubts and cannot trust anything or anyone in the world anymore. Before Goodman Brown starts going into the dark forest, he has a really strong faith about his wife and also his religious beliefs.
In fact, he refuses to go to the ceremony with the old man. When Goodman Brown sees the old man sitting at the foot of the tree, the man seems to be waiting for Goodman Brown; in fact, the old man says, “You are late, Goodman Brown” (Hawthorne 108). Goodman Brown answers, “Faith kept me back a while.” (Hawthorne 108). His wife and his beliefs keep him back because this journey is the journey into the darkness, and evil. The first when Goodman Brown refuses to go with the devil, he says, “My father never went into the woods on such an errand, nor his father before him. We have been a race of honest men and good Christians” (Hawthorne 109). He is proud of his family background. He is born and raised in a good Christian family so he should not go with the devil. The second time he says, “What if a wretched old woman do choose to go to the devil when I though she was going to heaven: is that any reason why I should quit my dear Faith and go after her?” (Hawthorne 111). He believes that there is no reason he should give up on his wife and his beliefs to go with the devil. The last time when Goodman Brown knows everyone goes into the devil but he still believes in his wife Faith and keeps standing against devil. In fact, he says: “With heaven above and Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil!” (Hawthorne 113). Even though Brown has a
strong belief on his wife and his own faith, there is something that happens to affect him and manipulate his actions. On the journey, he sees things that have negative effects on his religious beliefs.
He sees Goody Cloyse who has a really strong effect on his religious life. She seems to know the devil very well, and she talks to the devil for a while. She says, “Ah, forsooth … would your worship believe it?” (Hawthorne 111). In her words, we learn that the devil has ability to take different kind of human shape. But the devil chooses to take the shape of Goodman Brown’s grandfather. According to William S. Simmons, the author of “Cultural Bias in the New England Puritan’s Perception of Indian”, states that “Satan was known to transfer himself into animal, human, and other forms to communicate directly with mortals through visions, voices, and trances, and to enter covenants with them” (William S. Simmons 58). This helps us understand the story much easily. When Goody Cloyse identifies Brown as the devil and reveals her to be a witch, on her way to the devil’s evil forest ceremony, this action really hurt Brown’s feeling because she is a good Christian woman in the village who teaches him catechism. It also affects Goodman Brown’s religious beliefs because the people he thinks are good actually not. They are dealing with the devil. After that, he sees the minister and Deacon Gookin who are also going to the evil ceremony. The last person that he sees is his wife, Faith. The only beauty and goodness that he can believe in and rely on is gone. His wife finally joins the devil, and he does
not see any goodness or beauty anymore. He gives up and also gives himself into the devil when he says, “My Faith is gone! … Come, devil; for to thee is this world given” (Hawthorne 113). Even though he has finally joined the devil, at the last minute, he still hopes that he can save his wife and his religious beliefs. He says, “Faith! Faith! Look up to heaven, and resist the wicked one.” (Hawthorne 117) But, suddenly, everyone disappear and Goodman Brown wakes up alone in the forest. The next morning, he comes back to the village and does not trust anyone again including his wife. Hawthorne shows us the important of Faith and how people’s beliefs and fears manipulate them. The author also plays with us about what is real and what is not that happens in the story. But there is one thing we can know for sure that Young Goodman Brown’s life is totally changed after the journey. He lives the rest of his life miserable and doubtful. I believe that the story wants us to understand that do not try to discover the dark side of humanity. We should look at the good side of others because that is the only way to make us live a happy life.