26 pages • 52 minutes read
Young Goodman Brown
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Character Analysis
Goodman Brown
Goodman Brown, a God-fearing Puritan man, is the story’s protagonist. He is newly married to his wife, Faith, and is devoted to his religious beliefs. He exhibits, however, a keen curiosity to embark on an unknown journey into the wilderness despite his wife’s reluctance to see him go. Brown is loyal to God’s law, not the ordinance of lawmakers. This characteristic is emphasized when the elder traveler reveals that local politicians have walked the wooded path, to which Brown says, “they have their own ways, and are no rule for a simple husbandsman” (3).
“Goodman” was a term of endearment in Puritan communities used to address a young man of humble birth. Its use here is a play on words that suggests Brown is, indeed, a “good man.” Brown, however, embodies Hawthorne’s views of 17th-century Puritanism as insecure and hypocritical. Brown illustrates a young man’s naivety as he continually sees the good in all people, including his family and clergy. However, he shows the strongest conviction for his faith (both his wife and belief) when he says, “with Heaven above, and Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil!” (6). Brown, however, is still lured by the devil to continue the test of his faith by attending the ceremony. He represents the idea that even the purest individuals can be taken over by society’s sins.
Although he is “good” and God-fearing, he cannot, like the people he respects above all others, resist the temptation of the devil. Even a pure young man can be compelled to do evil, as the devil exists in all of us. The realization that evil exists even in the most upstanding people crushes Brown’s view of his faith and the people who teach it.
The Elder Traveler
The elder traveler is the antagonist. He is first described as a man of 50 in ordinary attire who seems to change in appearance as the story progresses. At certain points in the story, he resembles Brown and members of his family. As the story develops, the traveler’s manipulative, evil, and supernatural characteristics serve as the foundation of the central conflict.
The traveler exhibits subtle supernatural abilities, such as traveling 25 miles from Boston to Salem in 15 minutes, carrying a serpentine staff that allows him to speed through the woods, and taking the appearance of anyone he sees fit. While the narrative does not confirm that the traveler is the devil, the traveler’s familiarity with the wilderness, the witch meeting, and the Puritans who committed atrocious acts suggests that he is a personification of the devil.
Additionally, the traveler symbolizes the lure of the devil and one’s inability to stave off temptation. The traveler lures Brown further into the woods at every turn. When Brown doubts his mission, reflects on Faith (his wife), and decides to return to the village, the traveler provides additional reassurance that continuing the journey is the right thing to do. He preys on Brown by manipulating Brown’s perceptions of people he respects.
The traveler may be regarded as a mirror image to Brown, reflecting his and his family’s innermost evil. The most obvious evidence of this argument is his resemblance to Brown at the beginning of the story. Furthermore, the traveler reveals his friendship with Brown’s grandfather and father. When Brown continues to resist the journey, saying that his family is a “race of honest men and good Christians” (2) and “people of prayer, and good works” (3), the traveler points to upstanding individuals in the forest, including Goody Cloyse, Deacon Gookin, and the church minister.
The final lure that the traveler uses to bring Brown to the ceremony is his wife, Faith. Brown hears her voice and sees her ribbons and believes that she has given herself to the devil. Again, Brown does not see Faith until they are to be given up as the newest converts to devil worship. Her appearance at the end is perhaps the final straw that cracks Brown’s religious faith.
Faith
Faith is Goodman Brown’s wife of three months. Her role seems minimal, as she only makes three appearances in the story. She first appears in the beginning, trying with no success to hold her husband back from his journey. She then momentarily appears beside her husband at the forest ceremony. At the end, she greets her husband upon his return home.
While her physical appearances are brief, her character and what she represents is essential to the story. Faith, a common Puritan name, is aptly named as she symbolizes Brown’s religious beliefs. In Puritan communities, women symbolized purity, and their religious faith often held the family’s beliefs together. Faith’s femininity and purity are represented by the “playful” pink ribbons she wears in her hair.
Brown wants nothing more than to make her happy, to return home and follow her to heaven. If Faith (both Brown’s wife and religion) remains pure, Brown can resist turning to the devil. However, when Faith appears at the wilderness witch meeting, her purity and innocence is taken away. Once Brown realizes that his faith has been compromised, he has little hope himself of resisting the “wicked one.”
The Townspeople
Goodman Brown believes he sees and hears reputable individuals from his family and congregation traveling through the wilderness. In addition to figures he thinks are his father and grandfather, Brown also believes he sees his catechism teacher, Goody Cloyse, as well as Deacon Gookin and the minister, the clergy who deliver sermons in Salem village each week.
Goody Cloyse, Deacon Gookin, and the minister represent Brown’s religious education and beliefs. “Goody” refers to a “goodwife,” a married woman of humble rank. However, Cloyse tells the traveler that she is a witch on her way to the meeting in the forest. Her character is based on Sarah Cloyse, a woman accused of being a witch and imprisoned during the Salem Witch Trials. She references Martha Cory, who was hanged for witchcraft in 1692, as well as “juice of smallage and cinque-foil and wolf’s-bane” (4), plants closely associated with witchcraft.
Hawthorne bases the deacon on Daniel Gookin, a magistrate who oversaw indigenous affairs during the time of the witch trials. In Hawthorne’s story, both the deacon and the minister are followers of the devil. Their association with evil exposes their hypocrisy and challenges Brown’s worldview, sparking doubt in his faith and interpersonal relationships.
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By Nathaniel Hawthorne
