"Young Goodman Brown": Analysis

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer introduces, discusses and analyzes the short story "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathanial Hawthorne. Specifically it discusses symbolism in the short story. The writer notes that symbolism is rampant in this short story of a young man who takes a trip into the forest and returns a changed man. Further, the writer points out that Hawthorne uses symbolism to represent evil in many areas of the story, from the dank depressing forest to the traveler who carries a cane with the head of a snake. The writer notes that the devil lives in this story, and comes alive with the symbolism Hawthorne chooses to portray evil and fear.

From the Paper:

"Thus, Hawthorne uses Brown as a symbol of the success of the devil's corruption. Did he only dream everything he saw in the forest? Perhaps. Even if he only dreamed of the devil, he allowed him to corrupt his soul, kill his love, and change his life, so the devil won, and Brown lost. This symbolizes the evil in each of us, but it also symbolizes just how powerful the devil can be. Even if Brown only imagined him in the forest, he is still a powerful force in the story and in Brown's remaining life. It has to make the reader question Brown's conviction. He is determined to believe that those around him are corrupt and evil, and yet he has become worse than they are - unhappy and unloved. Those around him are happy, even if they are corrupt, while he is "desperate" and "distrustful." Who is the more evil in this story? Brown becomes the most evil member of the village, and yet he is convinced that he is the only "good" influence in the town. He cannot see that everything he symbolizes is evil and distrustful of others."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Crowley, J. Donald. Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Critical Heritage. London: Routledge, 1997.
• Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Mosses from an Old Manse. Vol. 1. New York: John B. Alden, 1888.
• Maus, Derek. "The Devils in the Details: The Role of Evil in the Short Fiction of Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol and Nathaniel Hawthorne." Papers on Language & Literature 38.1 (2002): 76.

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