Evil In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

Nathaniel Hawthorne, takes a different approach with his male character’s and does not follow the traditional “hero” storyline. In the story, Goodman Brown the male character, Goodman is not good, so to speak. The name suggests that he is an upstanding person, yet he demonstrates a weak person who falls into the hands of evil. Supposedly Goodman Brown is a man of faith. His wife Faith, his family and himself are Christians. Right from the beginning of the story he strays from his faith and charts on a path to evil. This is one reason for his weakness. Goodman’s temptation for the journey is making him go against what he believes in. Nevertheless, he leaves his wife to go on a journey with a character that presents himself as the devil. The man is descried as being similar to Goodman, it says in the text that they don’t look alike but how he acts (Hawthorne 191). It comes to light, that the man is the devil in view of the fact that he is carrying a staff with a black serpent on it. The serpent embodies the symbolism for the devil. Furthermore, it is shown that the man is the devil when the women who approaches Him and Goodman in the forest screams

The Man leaves him his staff to use once he feels like continuing to the meeting (195). As he was sitting in the woods Goodman began to wonder “Whether there really was a heaven above him” (Hawthorne,196). He continues to add “With a heaven above and Faith below, I will stand firm against the devil.” Goodman begins to hear voices in the forest, one is Faiths. Suddenly her pink robin falls, and she is gone. Hence Goodman makes the conclusion to himself that there is no good. Eventually he goes on to continue on his journey to the meeting, but the staff accompanies him. Using the staff is what symbolizes him not believing in anything anymore and falling into weakness. Goodman’s actions are embodying the