Goodman Brown states that he has to go as soon as possible and that the errand needs to be done. Faith asks her husband to stay with her, expressing how terrified she feels staying alone pondering troubling thoughts to herself (Hawthorne 140). With a sense of urgency Goodman Brown explains that he only has to go do this errand for one night and reminds her to pray and go to bed early. He elaborates that if she does these two things no harm will come to her (Hawthorne 140). Goodman Brown goes on his errand promising himself to be a better person after this one night.
Goodman Brown continues his one night trip into the forest, which Hawthorne symbolizes as being the source and friend of evil (Hawthorne 141). He resumes his errand and, "[takes] a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest," (Hawthorne 140) the road can only represent one thing, that thing being Satan. As Goodman Brown continues his walk he meets an old man on the road that acts like he has been expecting him. In the text, "Overview of Young Goodman Brown" by Kathleen Wilson, Kathleen explains that the old man symbolizes a figure of the devil but only appears as an old man in reality (Wilson). The old man carries a staff, which "bores the likeness of a great black snake," (Hawthorne 141). The staff is shaped into a serpent, which represents the devil. Wilson also states that the old man seems to resemble Goodman Brown in a way, and it has been suggested that he is a reflection of the darker side of Brown's nature (Wilson 1). The devil claims to know both Brown's grandfather, "[who] participated in the persecution of Quakers, and Brown's father, who took part in an attack on an Indian village," (Wilson). As Goodman Brown and the old man continue walking, the old man offers Goodman Brown the staff and tells him that it will help him walk faster. Goodman Brown replies quickly saying that he will not touch it and wants to return back to the village (Hawthorne 142).