Young+Goodman+Brown

I. Basics of the Text
toc
 * Genre:
 * Narrator:
 * Setting:
 * Author's purpose:

__Young Goodman Brown__

 * 1) Observation
 * 2) "shall I be the first of the name Brown that ever took this path and kept"
 * 3) "Faith kept me back a while"
 * 4) " 'there is my wife, Faith. It would break her dear little heart; and I'd rather break my own"
 * 5) "Come, devil; for to thee is this world given"
 * 6) "A grave and dark-clad
 * 7) Meaning
 * 8) He is the first to stray this far from the faith
 * 9) He was hesitant to make the journey because of his faith
 * 10) He cares for wife and woud sacrifice himself for her
 * 11) The devil has power over the world
 * 12) Evil is all-encompassing
 * 13) Significance
 * 14) Pioneer, sets stage for separation between self and faith
 * 15) He wants to maintain faith, not confident in separation initially
 * 16) He cherishes his faith and shows more hesitance towards leaving
 * 17) He is losing faith in God and realizes the evil of the world
 * 18) Faith is being forgotten, more reason to divert from the faith

__The Path__
1. Observation > 1. came forth at sunset into the street at Salem > 2. the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep though > 3. "and many a pleasant walk have we had along this path, and returned merrily after midnight." > 4. until suddenly, in a gloomy hollow of the road, Goodman Brown sat himself down. 2. Meaning > 1. The street is the path of life. > 2. The path narrows and becomes sinister. > 3. His father and grandfather were companions of the devil > 4. He is passively resisting the devil, but he resists in the shadows, not in the light of God. 3. Significance > 1. The path to the devil is wide > 2. On the path to the devil it is hard to turn back > 3. Holiness =/= goodness > 4. It is hard to aggressively resist evil, and passivity is an evil in it of itself.

Overall Commentary
 * 1) symbolizes his journey
 * 2) starts out concrete and represents good
 * 3) as he gets closer to evil, it becomes rocky and dangerous
 * 4) symbolizes Faith and faith
 * 5) the further along the path he goes the further he moves from Faith.This is also true for his religious faith as well.
 * 6) When he has to move off the path for a little time he thinks about his journey and about turning back so he doesn't lose faith.

__The Traveller__
behind every tree... the figure of a man... seated at the foot of an old tree." || Foreshadows that the man at the foot of the tree is an evil devil. Says that evil is present everywhere in the world. || Hints that the story is about a conflict with the devil and brings too light the concept that evil is always by ones side. One must ALWAYS be aware. || be evil, a lot of people follow him and his interests. || This is the author saying that society is corrupted by evil. Symbolizes the success of the devil in society. || the likeness of a great black snake" || Brings up the archetype of the snake and it's evilness. Adam and Eve story. || The staff is the object through which the man will tempt Brown with. It is the symbol of evil and accepting it is accepting evil. || benefits of evil || Gives Goodman Brown a conflict between good and evil. || himself was the chief horror" || Goodman Brown takes the staff and accepts evil. succumbs to desires and becomes evil himself. || The traveller successfully temps Goodman Brown to accept evil. Evil triumphs over good. ||
 * Observation || Meaning || Significance ||
 * "there may be a devilish Indian
 * "there may be a devilish Indian
 * "wickedness or not..." || the traveler asserts that although he may
 * "...thing about him that could be fixed...
 * "...There is my staff to help you along..." || the traveller is tempting Brown with the
 * "Goodman Brown grasp the staff.. he

__The Forest__
Observation: Meaning: Significance:
 * 1) Met in the deepest part of the forest, at deep dusk, at the devil's request. The forest is the devil's habitat.
 * 2) Brown feared that the trees were concealing enemies or other dangers. He at times uses the bushes to hide himself.
 * 3) The devil makes a walking stick of a maple branch, plucking it from its tree. It quickly shrivels up and dies at a supernatural rate.
 * 4) There are no churches in the forest and good Christians do not enter.
 * 5) The tree catches and keeps the fallen pink ribbons.
 * 1) The forest is portrayed as hellish and evil, particularly when shrouded in darkness. Darkness often symbolizes evil and the unknown, and here, it evokes paranoia in Brown. The fact that the devil appears to dwell in the forest emphasizes the dark, supernatural properties of the woods. The devil is very closely associated with the wilderness.
 * 2) Evil lurks in what cannot be seen. It almost seems to suggest that secrecy is malignant, and so, what is decidedly hidden cannot be good. The fact that the trees obscure sight and cast shadows is the root of the threatening nature.
 * 3) This image demonstrates how powerfully toxic the devil truly is. He does not represent life in any way, he only represents death and misfortune. It could have been assumed from other observations made of the forest that the trees were in league with the devil, but based on this moment, it can be seen that, rather, the devil manipulates his environment against its will. He lurks in darkness, not in trees. The forest is simply the most shadowy and dense area.
 * 4) Christians are afraid to enter the forest since it is generally considered an alter to the devil. They are afraid of the evils that the trees conceal, and so, they avoid entering the uncivilized territory to the best of their abilities for the sakes of their souls.
 * 5) The devil stole his faith.
 * Each observation seems to say that while the forest is in fact seen as devilish, conversely the devil is like the forest; composed of traps, secrets, and deception. In this way, the choice of the forest as the setting of this story is incredibly effective in creating a mood of suspense and bleakness, but also in establishing for the reader an understanding as to the devil's maliciousness and general malignancy.