Young goodman brown essay questions

The wilderness acted as the agent that opened Goodman's mind to the true feelings hidden within his heart -- that Goodman is not the faithful individual known in his community, but is actually the person who questions whether he is indeed faithful to God.

The symbolic significance of places, times, names, and objects seems obvious in “Young Goodman Brown.” Salem is the dwelling place of family and community, religion and faith (“faith” the belief and “Faith” the woman). The name Goodman suggests “good man” (although it also had been an equivalent of “mister”).

Faith acts as a force that continuously tries to stop Brown from committing sin. The author aptly named his wife Faith because throughout the story, she acts as the force that stands opposed to evil. And references to Faith also depict the various stages and forms of Brown's faith at different points in the… 1) Hawthorne, Nathaniel.

The story revolves around a man's journey into the heart of darkness to discover the strength of his own faith. He considers himself a moral being but on this one occasion, he realizes that faith is but a weak power which can easily be suppressed by evil forces.