Young Goodman Brown Essay Example for Free

Young Goodman Brown Essay Young Goodman Brown is a story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne with many interpretations. It is a story of Young Goodman Brown’s adventure that many believe was a journey away from home. Some people believe that he was trying to get at the community and everyday social life. One way to interpret it is that Young Goodman Brown was simply taking a journey in his sleep a dream. When reading this story, there are many ways to interpret it as a dream. Hawthorne says, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown came forth, at sunset, into the street of Salem†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1289) which could literally mean the sun is setting and that night is coming upon him. He also says that Brown â€Å"put his head back† (1289) which could reference him lying down before bed. After this, he kisses his wife Faith, and leaves her to go on his â€Å"journey. † I feel that he is really kissing her goodnight before he goes to sleep. When he â€Å"looked back, and saw the head of the Faith still peeping after him,† he is really opening his eyes and see that she is still awake. When Goodman Brown sees that Faith is still awake he says â€Å"God bless you and you may find all well, when you come back† (1289), I interpreted all this as Goodman Brown had been cheating on Faith. In the beginning of the story, Goodman Brown â€Å"came forth† (1289), or came home, meaning he had not been there the whole time. Goodman Brown even asks Faith, â€Å"dost thou doubt me already, and we but three months married! † Stating the fact that she is starting to doubt Goodman Brown and their relationship. I also interpreted the wife’s name Faith as faith in their relationship. Goodman Brown’s dream begins when he â€Å"leave[s] her [Faith] on such an errand† (1289). Leaving her could either be the realization of his cheating, or him falling asleep. When he begins to describe his journey, he says that he â€Å"had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest†¦ It was as lonely as could be; and there was peculiarity in such a solitude, that the traveler knows not who may be concealed by the innumerable trunks and the thick boughs overhead; so that, with lonely footsteps he may yet be passing through an unseen multitude† (1289). The dreary, gloomy, lonely road represents the road in which he has decided to take by cheating. The people being concealed by the tree trunks represent possible friends of Faith’s that could catch Goodman Brown and tell his wife. The unseen multitude signifies the many lovers. Later in the story, Goodman Brown meets up with his companion that is never given a name. I interpreted the companion as not the devil, which he is portrayed as, but the temptation to cheat. The character is described to have a â€Å"staff, which bears the likeness of a great black snake† (1290) which symbolizes deceitfulness when portrayed in stories. When Goodman Brown and the traveler approach the elderly woman, she screams â€Å"The Devil! (1291) The last reference is when the companion â€Å"plucked a branch of maple†¦began to strip the twigs†¦[but] the moment his fingers touched them, they became strangely withered and dried up. † (1292). This represents the traveler taking something good (Goodman Brown’s marriage) and turning it into something bad by ‘his touch’ or the act of cheating. After cheating for a while, Goodman Brown is able to break away from habit and go off into the forest. The dream continues and soon sees people he knows from town and hears Faith’s sorrowful voice surround Goodman Brown. Faith asks him for a favor that she seems to think is unattainable and the ‘unseen multitude’ (earlier described as many lovers) is encouraging her. Goodman Brown starts to shout in desperation and realizes Faith is gone. At that point his dream turns into a nightmare. Goodman Brown laughed, â€Å"when the wind laughed at him† (1294) and â€Å"there could be nothing more frightful than the figure of Goodman Brown. † (1294) In his dream, Goodman Brown attended church the next day and did not see Faith. Goodman than â€Å"glance[d] at his pale wife, and Faith at him. † He then told her to â€Å"resist the wicked one† (1297). This could be interpreted as Faith’s opportunity to cheat and Goodman Brown telling her not too. Goodman Brown soon â€Å"staggered against a rock and felt it chill and damp, while a hanging twig, that had been all on fire, besprinkled his cheek with the coldest dew. † (1297) This part of the story could be interpreted as him waking up from his dream because he goes back to where the dream began. At the end of the story, Goodman Brown asks himself if he had â€Å"fallen asleep in the forest, [or] only dreamed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He â€Å"shrank from the bosom of Faith†¦scowled and muttered to himself, and gazed sternly at his wife, and turned away†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1298). Goodman Brown realizes his life has been a lie and begins to resent every moment he has with Faith after the realization of his dream. When he dies, †they carve no hopeful verse upon his tomb-stone; for his dying hour was in gloom. † Goodman Brown’s dream changed his life. It made him realize that he had been cheating on Faith, but she, in turn, had the chance to make the same mistake. When he awakens, he loathes his actions he has previously committed and makes his life not only miserable for himself, but for Faith and their family. Young Goodman Brown was young when he fell in love with Faith, but not a good man at all.