Examples Of Realism In Young Goodman Brown

A Walk Through the Woods: Brown’s Realization

A simple walk through the woods is not always as innocent as it seems, uncertain truths

can be brought out in the worst of ways. In fact, one may witness sights that he does not want to see, changing him forever in the worst of ways. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”, Goodman Brown struggles with faith, changes his view towards the community, and walks a symbolic path of acceptance and denial.

As Goodman Brown strolls along the forest trail, he meets a mysterious figure. Brown has always been a good Puritan man, yet the traveler he meets on the trail opens his eyes. It is revealed to the reader that the Devil is the unknown traveler, but to innocent Brown, he appears as a normal wanderer.

As the two continue on their walk, Brown realizes evil that he has not seen before. Hawthorne illustrates goodness in Brown by stating, “’But, with your leave, friend, I shall take a cut through the woods, until we have left this Christian woman behind’”, as the two travels notice Goody Cloyse, a former Sunday school teacher, pacing towards them. Much to Brown’s surprise, he overhears Cloyse’s conversation, revealing that she is a devil worshipper. Brown could not believe what he had heard; the thought of his old Church teacher worshipping the Devil was far too much for him to bear. Hawthorne provides evidence of the character’s contradiction when Brown states, “’Friend’, said he, stubbornly, ‘my mind is made up. Not another step will I budge on this errand.’” Goodman Brown continues his
Watson 1
march alone, still in disbelief of the information that has been set forth. Full of anger and confusion, he marches on until he finds the entire town of Salem meeting together to worship the devil. This once peaceful stroll through the woods made Goodman Brown see what the community is really made of, as he accepts the fact that evil still infects the good.
Goodman Brown’s biggest problem throughout the short story is his inability to stay strong with what he believes in. Brown is said to be a good Puritan man, one who is strong in his religion and sees only the best of people, until he left his home to walk around the dark forest alongside a stranger. Richard Predmore calls the walk, “The first step into unconsciousness.” This stranger would soon be revealed as the Devil. As the two wander, the Devil reveals many unpleasant truths, and at first, Brown stays firm in his own beliefs. It is not until that a new stranger is brought forth to the two travelers- Brown’s former Sunday School teacher Goody Cloyse- that Goodman Brown changes his beliefs. Goody Cloyse speaks with the Devil whilst Brown hides behind the brush, praising the devil for all he has done and exposing herself as a witch. As Brown fights the urge to believe his ears, he continues his journey alone, only to find the entire town of Salem performing a Devil-worshipping ceremony. This leaves Brown traumatized, and his once innocent faith is now forgotten forever.
After witnessing such a horrible event, Goodman Brown can never look at the people of his community the same again, including his loved ones. During the ceremony, Brown witnessed the torture of his beloved wife Faith, who he now sees as a pure sinner. As Brown loses his wife in what he believes he saw, he also symbolically loses his “Faith”. After what Brown has seen, his outlook towards his townsfolk has completely changed, and he walks the streets of Salem alone to seclude himself from all the sin. Edwards J. Galleghar tells the reader,
Watson 2
“Brown has nowhere else to escape to until the devil calls for his soul”, as he spends the rest of his days in solitude. Brown’s encounter with the devil has made him realize that no man or woman is free from sin, no matter the innocence. He now can see the sin that each individual possesses, revealing what Karen Hollinger calls, ”The exposed hypocrisy within the Puritan community.
"Young Goodman Brown" is certainly not a flattering story, and the setting itself helps the reader understand a lot about the tale.

Most of the story takes place within a large forest during the night, which already gives off a small feeling that something is just not right. As I read the story, I could feel that something bad was going to happen while Brown wandered through this dark, abandoned forest. Then the devil decided to show up, as well as one of Browns former teachers, revealing to Goodman Brown the evil that he had got into. At the beginning of the story, everything seemed calm while he spoke with his wife outside of his safe house, but as the setting changed, things took a turn for the worst. The setting tells a lot about what is going on in the story, and in this case, things did not go well for Goodman Brown.

The theme for this story can easily be described loss of innocence. Goodman Brown begins as a pure, innocent man, but sin lies within even the best of men. As he loses his faith and innocence, he also begins to lose what he holds dear to himself- his life and his love. Towards the climax, Brown’s once evil thoughts have now created an evil life, forcing Brown to suffer for the rest of his days until the Devil returns for his

soul.
This short story provides readers with a suspenseful piece of reading that tells the story of an innocent bystander that lives in a historically evil town, and his strong efforts to remain
Watson 3
good with the Lord, but soon realizes the evil that all people possess. An amazing piece of writing by Hawthorne, from setting to characterization, one that tells an amazing tale of the distrust and evil. It is important that we see the innocence in every man, but never forget the capability of sin that lies beneath us all.