Title: Young Goodman Brown
Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Why I Read This Book:
I’ve wanted to read one of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s works since I performed professionally as an adult in The Crucible and visited Hawthorne’s house in Salem along with his grandfather, Judge Hawthorne’s, grave. As my first story by Hawthorne, I really enjoyed it because of the mood and eeriness of the book and how fantastically descriptive it was.
What I Learned From Reading This Book:
Hawthorne has a particular mood for this story that comes alive on the page. I was able to experience the atmosphere in the setting. He uses character names and other motifs and details to foreshadow events or have different meanings. For example, the young wife of Goodman Brown, Faith, could be an ironic detail of the protagonist’s faith. “Poor little Faith,” which the protagonist used, was a play on words when Goodman Brown spoke of his wife.
The story starts with the young Goodman Brown leaving his wife for the night to do some undisclosed evil intention, to the unawareness of his young pretty wife of only 3 months. Brown leaves his little village and meets a much older man-a traveller-in the dark woods. Although the young man is vocal about not wishing to go any further and return to his wife (an internal struggle), he still continues on with the un-named man who holds a twisted old cane in the shape of a snake, which he repeatedly tries to persuade our young protagonist to take hold of. Brown’s internal struggle of turning back yet continuing on is an ongoing theme. The antagonist baited him to keep walking to give him the opportunity to convince the young man not to turn back. It was clear to me that this young man’s boundaries were not strong enough.
As they venture deeper into the dark and lonely woods, the older man, who Brown doesn’t wish to associate or be seen with, speaks of his involvement in his elder’s evil deeds and of their support for him, which reminded me of “Sympathy For The Devil.” Whether these are lies or truths isn’t certain. It’s clear that this character is the father of lies.
There are multiple sub-climaxes or rising actions leading up to their destination; they see an old woman with a Godly, good name in the town. When the woman sees the older traveller, we realize she’s a witch and a supporter of this charismatic and dark man and all that is evil. She mentions that she’s on her way to a gathering where a young man is to be taken into communion. The older man, who seems to appear and disappear with mystical qualities leaves Brown to hear the voices of the town’s minister and deacon conversing along the path regarding taking a young woman into communion during a gathering that, using tone instead of clear statement, is clearly a secretive and ungodly event. Brown then hears his young wife screaming in the dark woods among the encompassing whispers and incantations of saints and sinners from his town.
The reader, along with the protagonist, understands there is evil awaiting Goodman Brown, which is confirmed when Brown reaches a stone altar with a large congregation of saints and sinners from his town. He and his wife Faith, who is there now, are to be brought into a dark communion. Brown begs his wife to turn from there and to not go through with the communion.
Everything goes black and Goodman Brown comes to in the middle of the empty damp forest and returns to town alone. He sees the “good” members of his community-the deacon, the minister, the old lady who taught him as a child, all preparing for sermons, preaching to a congregation, and helping children-all Godly things and he views them now with disgust and anger. When he sees his young wife run to him eagerly, he ignores her and keeps on walking.
The story says that it had all been a dream, and yet Goodman Brown became bitter and cold, often scowling at the words of prayer. His view of others around him changed even until his dying day when his grave bore no written word of prayer or sentiment.
Throughout the story, the protagonist struggled with internal conflict, as I mentioned earlier, regarding turning from his evil deeds, yet keeping in step with the devil-like antagonist. Goodman Brown knew what he was going off to do was wrong when he left his wife and he knew it would hurt his wife if she knew. “…after this one night I’ll cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven” he said and it was clear to the reader that he felt himself justified in his wrong-doing, allowing himself to make more haste “on his present evil purpose.” He had even vowed while clinging to a tree that he would “…yet stand firm against the devil!” but his words didn’t match his actions.
As I mentioned before, I believe Faith’s name was symbolic, as there was a second play on words: “Faith kept me back a while” Brown had told the antagonist.
What I wonder still is why did the young, good man meet this evil devil in the woods in the first place? Brown knew the man was bad company and how others would view him for associating with him.
How Reading “Young Goodman Brown” Will Help Me With Success:
This story is a reminder for me how dangerous it is to not keep strong boundaries, for establishing weak ones won’t keep out the evil one, who not only attacks us, he *aggressively* attacks us.
It’s a reminder that we can stay what we will or will not do all we want, however it’s our actions that matter.
Hawthorne warns us of the damage that can happen within us (like how Brown had changed at the end of his story) if we don’t commit to doing good, focus on God, and let our guards down for even a moment. Brown’s grim look on life and others, even his loved ones that he ultimately hurt, is a consequence of his poor decisions, which remind me much of the poor decisions I once made that led me down a dark path, like the dark, dense, wooded one Young Goodman Brown had followed. I thank Hawthorne for his admonitory tale.
