The Evil That Men Do The story “Young Goodman Brown” is one that examines the true disposition of mankind. In the story, the devil declares that “Evil is the nature of mankind.” However, there are many other elements in the story that point to the author’s belief in this statement. From the moment Goodman Brown leaves his wife, Faith, and throughout the rest of the narrative, we are shown that evil prevails in all …showed first 75 words of 399 total…

…showed last 75 words of 399 total…pastor of the church. He knows many of them as good, God fearing, religious people. Yet underneath their Christian front, he discovers them to be in league with the devil himself. This recognition serves as the point of the story. It shows that no matter how good a person seems to be on the surface, their soul is just like everyone else’s, and contained within the soul, is the true nature of mankind, evil.