Perceptions of Faith in "Young Goodman Brown." Throughout ones journey in life, our individual perceptions of faith in God, in mankind, and in ourselves, guide us along our path. The story of Young Goodman Brown is about a man and his faith in himself, his wife, and the community they reside in.
Young Goodman Brown is a man at a crossroads in his life. Newly married and already settled in his hometown of Salem. He must venture on a journey into the local forest refuse the temptations of the devil and return to the village before time. Ready to set out on his journey, he leaves his wife Faith behind. While they are together everything seems to be all right. It is when Young Goodman Brown sets off that the trouble soon begins.
The writer is already lost in a morass of his own ambiguity. The journey he takes whether real imagined or something in between aptly illustrates how lost Young Goodman Brown really is. Young Goodman brown leaves his wife with the intention of completing his journey and returning to Faith and after this one night I"ll cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven (Hawthorne). .
Upon entering the forest he is suspicious of every rock and tree, thinking something evil will jump out at him. When he finally does meet someone on the trail, who appears to be of evil origin, he feels confident that he can refuse any temptations. .
This evil person makes many advances which Young Goodman Brown refuses. This makes the writer strong until they meet his childhood catechism teacher and sees her turned. This act deters his confidence to a great degree. He continues down the trail looking for hope in the heavens but hears only howling voices. .
Young Goodman Brown eventually reaches his destination and sees the rest of the community; they"re participating in satanic acts. When he sees this it destroys any faith he might have had in the community or himself and he appears to give-up.