Young Goodman Brown is an example of someone who is conflicted. He is seen experiencing pulls from the good and evil side of himself. Though the climax of the story is blurry, it seems evil has won, or at least changed his perspective for the rest of his life.Young Goodman Brown's body leads him one way, yet his mind leads him another. This fits the central theme, that everything is evil or has evil in it. Even young Goodman Brown's body is infested with the sin, by attending this meeting that he knew was evil, he could not keep his feet from moving.
Young Goodman Brown seems naive as he travels on the path. He wants to be good and godly but doesn't know the power it takes to stay true to his beliefs . There is evidence that Young Goodman Brown wants to be good. He is able to stop himself at times and try to reflect on what he is doing, why, and where he actually wants to be, at home with Faith. Then there is the part of him that has faith in people that they are not all evil. Towards the beginning, Young Goodman Brown is ashamed of the trip he is about to take. He thinks he is the first to take this tumultuous journey out of the members of his family. He feels his is betraying his God and himself. The theme includes betrayal as everyone is revealed to Young Goodman Brown of being evil and filled with the devil. The walking buddy, who was called the devil by a passerby, revealed Young Goodman Brown's father and his grandfather had taken similar walks with him and had always come out of the forest fine. This shows how strong of a hold the devil is able to attract him and others, who wanted to be godly at one point.
Sin holds him in chains. Even through every thought of Faith and not wanting to betray his God, he still continues on the path to darkness. Young Goodman Brown is unable to keep himself from the temptation of evil. At the point where Young Goodman Brown realized Faith is also involved with the evil happenings, he rushes to the ceremony when the shock and horror of what is happening becomes real. Young Goodman Brown is at the ceremony, yet still really doesn't want to be there, but it seems that there has been a societal pull for him to attend.
Young Goodman Brown is a character with a good heart, but is unable to let the beliefs he believes in shine through. He is ashamed to be attended the meeting and at many points wants to stop. He realizes that he is not a fit for what the meeting will do or change about his life. Yet Goodman Brown treks on through the forest. Even though he wanted to resist, his body would not listen. Young Goodman Brown demonstrates the theme that evil is innate, It is in us and even with a stronger resistance than Goodman Brown's, could stop someone for attending the meeting.
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