The story begins with the line, “Young Goodman Brown came forth at sunset into the streets of Salem village; but put his head back, after crossing the threshold to exchange a parting kiss with his young wife” (Hawthorne 1207). At this point of the story, there is partial daylight and Goodman Brown is consciously aware of his trust in his wife, Faith, and his faith in his religion. He says to his wife, “’of all nights in the year, this one night must I tarry away from thee, my journey, as thou callest it, forth and back again, must needs be done ‘twixt now and sunrise’” (Hawthorne 1207). Goodman Brown feels that something inside him needs to go on this journey but he goes “on his journey with a guilty conscience” (Martin 85). There is a reason why he consciously feels like he has to go; he needs to

Mott, Wesley T., ed. Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 223: The American Renaissance in New England, Second Series. The Gale Group, 2000. pp. 183-218.

into the woods. At this point, Goodman Brown has sunk deep into the depths of his conscience.

Grant, William E. and Bobby E. Kimbel, eds. Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 74: American Short – Story Writers Before 1880. The Gale Group, 1988. pp. 143-163.

Martin, Terence. Nathaniel Hawthorne. London: Twayne Publishers, 1983.

Some topics in this essay:
Goodman Brown, Goodman Brown’s, Faith’” Hawthorne, goodman brown, Her’” Hawthorne, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Goody Cloyse…as, , Story Writers, Biography Volume, Barnet Sylvan, goodman brown’s, goodman brown’s conscience, depths consciousness, hawthorne 1208, consciously aware, hawthorne 1212, brown’s conscience, hawthorne 1210, depths conscience, hawthorne 1211, goodman brown hears, pass goodman brown, journey goodman brown, symbolic journey depths,