Goodman Brown begins to think about his situation and his pride. As Brown begins feeling good about his strength in resisting the Devil, he hears the voices of the minister and Deacon Gookin. He overhears their conversation and learns that they are discussing a good young woman to be taken into communion that evening at that night’s meeting; Brown fears that it may be Faith. This brings Young Goodman Brown to face his internal conflict. He becomes weak and begins to doubt whether there really is a Heaven above him. Brown begins to pray, and he says, “With heaven above, and faith below, I will yet stand firm against the Devil (395). Then a dark and dreary cloud breaks his connection from heaven. A pink ribbon flies through the air and Goodman grabs it. He believes that Faith is gone, and at this point he has lost all faith in the world and declares that there is no good on earth. The reader learns that when Goodman believes that he has lost his wife Faith, he loses his faith in God. Goodman goes mad and challenges evil. He becomes overconfident and arrogant; he alone believes that he is better than everyone else, thinking he can destroy evil. Brown is eventually led back to the ceremony which is setup like a tainted Puritan temple. The altar was a rock with four trees set aflame, surrounding the congregation. Brown notices all of the faces at the service, and he realizes that he does not see Faith; hope once again comes back to his heart. Hope is mentioned at this point in the story, because it is the turning point of Goodman Brown.
Throughout the story, Brown lacks emotion, as a normal person would have had. The closest emotion that he shows is when a hanging twig, that had been all on fire, besprinkled his cheek with the coldest dew (398). The dew represents a tear that Brown is unable to produce because of his lack of emotion. Brown does not cry after realizing what he has seen, so he fails the test of moral and spiritual being. By not crying or realizing his inner emotions, Brown cannot progress morally or spiritually. This explains the symbolism that Hawthorne uses throughout the work. Brown's lack of tears shows that he has no pity or compassion for the witches and therefore he cannot be a true Christian himself (Easterly 1).
In the end, the reader can never be sure if good or evil won the battle within Young Goodman Brown, but Hawthorne does make it clear that this experience has scarred him for life. After returning to Salem from the past night’s events, Goodman Brown becomes scornful and pessimistic. The rest of his life is destroyed because of his inability to face the truth and live with it. He has lost his innocence, his faith, and his dependence in the people that surround him. The discovery that evil exists in every human heart changes Brown. He sees evil even where it is not (McKeithan 93).
Brown’s self-isolation and the relationship with his wife show the conflict that has had an effect on his life. Not only these two conflicts, but most importantly, Hawthorne mentions that his excessive pride in himself led to the inscription on Brown’s tombstone. Brown was buried with “no hopeful verse upon his tombstone; for his dying hour was gloom” (Hawthorne 399). Goodman Brown’s dying hour is gloomy because the evil in his own heart overflows; he sees a world darkened by the dreariness of sin (Hurley 411).
Works Cited
Easterly, Joan Elizabeth. “Lacrymal Imagery in Hawthorne’s ‘Young Goodman Brown’.” Studies in Short Fiction 28 (1991): 339-43. Rpt. in Review of Selected Criticism of “Young Goodman Brown. Ed. Kavis Fleming. 1995. 1-4. 6 February 2008. <http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/eng372/ygbcrit1.html>.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Young Goodman Brown.” Rpt. in Literature: Approaches to Fiction, _ Poetry, and Drama. 2nd ed. Ed. Robert DiYanni. New York: McGraw, 2008. 391-99.
Hurley, Paul J. “Young Goodman Brown’s Heart of Darkness.” American Literature 37.4 (1966): 410-19. JSTOR. Hagan Memorial Library, U of Cumberlands, Williamsburg, KY. 6 February 20083/25/2008 <>.
McKeithan, D.M. “Hawthorne’s ‘Young Goodman Brown’: An Interpretation.” Modern Language Notes 67.2 (1952): 93-96. JSTOR. Hagan Memorial Library, U of Cumberlands, Williamsburg, KY. 6 February 20083/25/2008 <>.