Young Goodman Brown

The story “Young Goodman Brown” represents the fall of mankind from God. Brown is an innocent man, untouched by corruption and views his fellow members of the congregation as Holy men and women of God. What he fails to see is the inner corruption going on inside each individual until it is introduced to Brown by the Devil himself. Once the Devil reveals the corruption and falsehoods of his whole town, he loses his innocence and his faith becomes depleted.
Brown begins to lose his innocence the moment he leaves Faith at home alone. As soon as he steps out the door of his house and begins his journey, he loses a bit of himself. He starts to be drawn towards evil desires and thoughts. His journey is described as “…a dreary road darkened by all the gloomiest of trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through, and closed immediately behind”(738). The symbolic reference further illustrates the evil beginning to surround and take over ...