Nathaniel Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

By Lee A. Zito Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, Young Goodman Brown, is certainly an eerie tale. Hawthorne's main character, Goodman Brown has a symbolically filled dream in which the whole town he lives in are actually devil worshipers. As Brown journeys through his dream, the reader follows along as he runs into various conflicts in which the reader must decifer what their symbolic intent was according to Hawthorne. The story begins with Brown about to …

…created hatred toward everyone, even his own family. Even though he was surrounded by people, he always appeared cold and distant, keeping in the back of his mind his dream. Humanity is not entirely evil. I believe we are capable of good. Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown shows us that is we believe men are entirely evil and unable of emitting good, then we will live life like Brown did. Only to die, unfortunate, and alone.