Young Goodman Brown
Nhat Pham
Abraham Tarango
English 110
22 February 2017
Young Goodman Brown
In this fiction, the author narrates an encounter between Goodman Brown and a mysterious man in the gloomy forest of Puritans. This special guest reveals many unbelievable facts about people around Goodman. When the “truth” is disclosed, he becomes another person who lives in suspicion for the rest of his life. The mysterious old man carries a snake-shaped staff which makes us recall the Biblical story about Adam and Eva, and how they become sinners. They satisfy their curiosity and break up the commitment between them and God. As a connection to this fiction, the situation Goodman Brown leaves his wife named Faith to explore the “truth” implicitly means that a good man accepts to leave his faith to become a sinner. The double meaning of Goodman’s name and Faith’s name makes the story become a successful parable. At first, he believes that his Puritan community has been saintly, and the idea of being the first sinner frightens him. However, he decides to be tempted and become a sinner in order to know the sins of others. From the beginning of the journey in to the darkness, the strange man admits that he was good friends with Goodman Brown’s father, grandfather, and other Puritans and Puritan leaders. Moreover, he also tells about cruelty and sacrilege they have made together. Goodman is really shocked when he hears this news. The true reason making him shocked is his family did not trust him enough to tell him these stories. The first desperation comes from the hypocrisy of his beloved ones. The sinful actions such as drinking communion wine with deacons and scheming with the courts reveal that Puritan leaders are sinners as well. However, Goodman Brown always believes that his Faith is saintly and virtuous when he refuses to keep going. He argues it would break Faith’s heart. In the meanwhile, he realizes Goody Cloyse, the old woman who taught him catechism, is also walking on the same way. He is hypocritical like his father and decides to hide in forest. Amazingly, he beholds Goody Cloyse greets the old man as Devil as well as her worship. At this time, Goodman Brown’s desperation comes from the woman who he extremely respects for growing his spiritual life. He realizes that she is not only a sinner but also a hypocrite. In the extreme despondency, he looks to the stars to find a truthful religious guide because minister, deacon, and even Goody Cloyse are gone in his mind. When a mysterious dark cloud races across, he recognizes his wife Faith’s voice and cries out her name three times. However, she follows the other voice and leaves her pink ribbon for Goodman Brown. He exclaims “My Faith is gone!” and becomes inhuman. He laughs, swears, shouts, and runs in his panic. From now, he has to admit that all people are sinners, sin appears anywhere, and more important he lost his faith already. At the devil’s congregation, he beholds the ritual as the travesty of church ceremony. Immediately, he realizes the hypocritical piety of Puritan leaders and people gathering there. The dark evil of church elders, young wives, young men, and young women leads him to the extreme desperation. All the truths disclosed make him desire to become complete sinner when he steps forward to be baptized. Fortunately, the presence of his wife gives him the strength to overcome in last-minute revolt against the devil. The situation that he is suddenly left alone indicates the rest of his life. As a result, Goodman Brown comes back home and tends to avoid everybody even his wife. He cannot question or accuse those people because he will indirectly admit that he is tempted by Devil. He becomes a hypocrite like his grandfather and father to appear to be saintly. He continuously goes to the church and listens to the minister but his mind is full of mistrust. Goodman Brown accepts to be a hypocrite to appear as a good man and he died unhappily without any engraving on his gravestone.