"Young Goodman Brown" (1835) is a short storyby American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story takes place in 17th century PuritanNew England , a common setting for Hawthorne's works, and addresses the Calvinist/Puritan belief that humanity exists in a state of depravity , exempting those who are born in a state of grace . Hawthorne frequently attempts to expose the hypocrisy of Puritan culture in his literature. In a symbolic fashion, the story follows Young Goodman Brown's journey into self-scrutiny which results in his loss of faith. Plot summary The story begins at sunset in Salem, Massachusetts , as young GoodmanBrown leaves Faith, his wife of three months, for an unknown errand in the forest. Faith pleads with her husband to stay with her but he insists the journey into the forest must be completed that night. In the forest he meets a man, dressed in a similar manner to himself and bearing a resemblance to himself. The man carries a black serpent -shaped staff . The two encounter Mistress Cloyse in the woods who complains about the need to walk and, evidently friendly with the stranger, accepts his snake staff and flies away to her destination. Other townspeople inhabit the woods that night, traveling in the same direction as Goodman Brown. When he hears his wife's voice in the trees, he calls out to his Faith, but is not answered. He then seems to fly through the forest, using a maple staff the stranger fashioned for him, arriving at a clearing at midnight to find all the townspeople assembled. At the ceremony (which may be a witches' sabbath) carried out at a flame-lit rocky altar , the newest converts are brought forth—Goodman Brown and Faith. They are the only two of...
