Young Goodman Brown ( Classic Horror Literature )

To know about the hidden meaning of the story you must know about the writers life .
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About writers :

The writers had a hard time making money as a write, so he had many government -related job .
As an adult , he really didn't like living in Salem but he needed to stay there because of his family .

He said he didn't like to go outside from the house and did't like to people see him .

Audio here

Theme of the play  :

Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darkness of other people . 

Summery :

Young Goodman Brown, a young and innocent man, bids farewell to his young wife, Faith. Faith asks him to stay, but Goodman Brown says he must leave, just for the evening. He ventures into the gloomy forest of Salem, and is soon approached by a man of about fifty, to whom he bears a strange resemblance. His companion wore simple clothing, but carried a staff that resembled a great black snake and seemed to move like a living serpent. Time and again, Goodman Brown protests the trip, insisting that he must turn around. But, his companion tells him that his father and grandfather had walked along the same path, as well as other important townspeople, such as the governor. Goodman Brown continues to follow. Along the path, they see a woman, Goody Cloyse, who taught Goodman Brown his catechism. His companion begins to resemble the devil, while the woman, a witch. The staff, too, seems to take life.

After a while, Goodman Brown sits down, determined to not go any father. His companions go ahead without him. As he sits, Goodman Brown thinks he hears the minister and Deacon Gookin on horseback discussing the night’s meeting and a young woman who would be taken into communion that night. Goodman Brown begins to hear voices, and among them, the lamentations of Faith. He shouts her name, but hears only a echoes, and then silence. A pink ribbon – Faith’s ribbon – flutters down form above. “Maddened with despair”, Goodman Brown rushes forth into the forest, laughing louder and louder, until he reaches the gathering. There, he sees an altar, surrounded by four blazing trees. Many of the town’s most honorable members were present, as were some of the least welcomed – the sinners and criminals. Goodman Brown is led to the altar, where a cloaked female figure is also led. A dark figure prepares to welcome them into the fold, pointing to the crowd behind them - the crowd Young Goodman Brown had reverenced from youth. The figure revealed them all as sinners, noting that “evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness”. The cloaked woman is revealed to be Faith. Before the figure could lay the mark of baptism on Goodman Brown, he called to Faith to “look up to Heaven, and resist the wicked one.” Immediately, he finds himself alone in the forest.

Short summery 

Newlywed Goodman Brown reluctantly leaves his wife Faith for the night to keep an appointment. In the woods, he meets a "man" who resembles both his grandfather and the Devil. This man carries a large staff with a serpent head that appears to writhe in the dark.

• Brown witness a conversation between the Devil and Goody Cloyse, Brown's catechism teacher. Brown is appalled when Goody proclaims the name of the Devil and confesses her evil deeds.
• Brown vows to return to Salem and devote himself to Faith and their religion. On the way back, he overhears a conversation between Deacon Gookin and the minister, who discuss an unholy congregation.
• Brown witnesses a Black Mass wherein everyone he once considered pious, including his own Faith, worships the Devil. Brown joins them, but the scene dissolves around him after he urges Faith to forsake the Devil. Uncertain if what he witnessed was real or just a dream, Brown becomes suspicious of everyone and eventually dies a miserable old man.

Character analysis 

Character of Goodman Brwn

The old man devil 

Faith

Analysis  

The fall of man 

Romanticisim 

Historical 

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