In “Young Goodman Brown,” Nathaniel Hawthorne introduces a strong theme of Puritan religious beliefs. His narrative vehicle for this is Satan who, throughout the story, destroys the protagonist’s faith. “Young Goodman Brown” is of the more well-known stories exploring 17th Century Puritanism and, even on a first read, it is clear why. Hawthorne depicts the chosen situation carefully and convincingly to the reader, not only entertaining them but also informing them as well. Certainly the element of this story that stands out the most dramatically is that of Satan and the means he adopts to manipulate the protagonist. Numerous strategies have been applied by the Great Deceiver to gain the soul of an innocent, considered as a puritan “Young Goodman Brown.”
Satan and uses manipulation and illusions to gain possession of Young Goodman Brown’s soul. Instead of appearing as a demon, Satan appears in the woods as an elderly puritan. Older, wise and unthreatening, he puts Brown at ease. As Brown is a 17th century Puritan man who is trying to reach justification, he trusts in this seemingly good puritan role model. Furthermore, Hawthorne has introduced the forest at the same time as Satan in disguise, which adds to the manipulation. Based in Salem in 1692, Goodman Brown’s encounter with the evil forest connected with the Puritan symbol of doubt of their immoral hearts. The dark and eerie forest signified the deceitfulness and inherent badness of man’s heart. In other words, just as Brown was unable to trust the shadows that he witnessed in the trees, he was also unable to trust his own desires. Once into the woods Brown meets the his companion, who is symbolising the devil. The reader is alerted to his character by the mention of the snakelike staff he carries. The devil is depicted as looking alike to Brown himself. This reflects the Puritan view that the devil is comfortable in any domain and is capable of corrupting anyone. This is the first of a series of techniques put forward by the devil in order to trick Brown.
Satan creates an illusion of Goody Cloyse, who had taught Brown the catechism in an attempt to destroy Brown’s beliefs in all she had taught. The two of them meet Goody Cloyse and Brown discovers that she, too, has sinned. At this point, Brown tries again to fight the temptation of Satan. The language he uses is deeply symbolic: “Is that any reason why I should quit my dear Faith, and go after her?” (407). Interestingly, when the elderly imposter tosses his staff at the feet of the woman, this seems related to the biblical tale of Aaron who threw his rod down in front of Pharoah, as did the Egyptian magicians before turning into serpents . This illusion of Goody Cloyse serves to further destroy Brown’s faith. Once he comes to believe that even a woman as good as she is could lose her faith, his defences are broken down a little more.
Following the meeting with Goody Cloyse, Satan uses another illusion with the minister and the deacon in the church. The devil now vanishes and Brown chooses to hide from the oncoming minister and deacon in order to overhear their discussion. Heaven’s glow does not beam on the two people as they have selected the sinful path rather than the good one of faith. Brown wishes to find comfort in prayer and so looks up to heaven. However, dark clouds cross the sky, containing voices of those who have sinned. Once again, Hawthorne illustrates the hazard of letting people distract one and to tempt them away from heaven. In planning this illusion of the minister, the devil depicted the real power within the church in a further attempt to erode Brown’s beliefs. The minister is the symbol of everything powerful about in the Church and, by showing him in a negative light, Satan manages to instil even more doubt in Brown’s mind.
Satan’s creation of the illusion of the townspeople, no doubt, was the final straw for Brown. After the ordeal with the elderly puritan man, Goody Cloyse, the minister, and his wife, the vision of everyone he knows willingly joining the devil was too much for him. The devil makes Brown believe that the townspeople are sinners and are void of the Holy Spirit; he does this to destroy Brown’s hoped that there was any good left in the world. Once Brown runs madly through the forest, his plight symbolises the bewilderment and darkness that a person will experience once they have abandoned their faith. Brown finds himself in the witches' coven, yet appears to rescue his soul at the last minute by pleading to heaven. The coven promptly vanishes, and Brown heads back towards town, apparently saved. The final section of the story shows Brown returning to the village as a hostile and frightened man and is ever more distrustful of the religious purity of others. The happy ending the reader is perhaps expecting is not delivered. In this way, the ultimate interpretation of the story is left in the hands of the reader, allowing for differences in lives and beliefs.
“Young Goodman Brown” is portrayed as an symbol of the threat involved in forsaking a Christian faith, even if for just a few hours. Hawthorne has depicted Satan using a variety of techniques to manipulate Brown away from his religious faith. The short narrative is driven by the repetition of the devil’s attempts to capture the innocent Brown. Whether or not Brown dreamed the entire night of events is unclear, and perhaps unimportant, to the reader. However, the concept of dwindling faith is arguably one that most people can relate to in some way. “Young Goodman Brown” is an intelligent and well thought out story by an author with a well-earned reputation for delivering such works.
