Young Goodman Brown.
Hawthorne wrote this story in such a way that one would have to draw one's own conclusion. Right from the beginning the author has you thinking of the Devil and evil. "With this excellent resolve for the future, Goodman Brown felt himself justified in making more haste on his present evil purpose." (805). This sentence tells the reader that Goodman Brown is up to no good and more interested " on his present evil purpose." (805). What is his tragedy you ask? Goodman Brown fights the forces of evil throughout the story.
Hawthorne's major theme is evil and witchery. The setting is Puritanical Boston after the witch trials. Having the flavor of the witch trials woven into the story suggests that Goodman remembers the trials and the evil associated with them. His concern is " shall I be the first of the name of Brown that ever took this path and kept." (806) meaning will he remain evil. Hawthorne even gives the character a symbolic name. The first name of Goodman would have you believe that he is indeed a good man. The last name of Brown symbolizes dark, dreary tones such as the dark colors we know witches to wear. The first name and the last name are opposites, indicating a conflict with Goodman Brown. A conflict going on with his name, a conflict going on in his head when he is fighting the forces of evil and a conflict going on in his dream when he sees the good people of Salem at an evil meeting in the forest. If he is a good man Hawthorne should have named him White, a color associated with heaven and angels. Goodman has this conflict throughout the story. In this story he dreams of respectable people involved with the church at an evil meeting. Goodman traveled into the forest with the elder. Interesting that Hawthorne gave the elder a twisted staff, as if to indicate a serpentine or a creature of poisonous venom. .
"As they went, he plucked a branch of maple to serve for a walking stick, and began to strip it of the twigs and little boughs, which were wet with evening dew.