Most of the symbolism in Nathaniel Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown is obvious. For instance, Goodman's wife is named Faith, the devil carries a rod or cane that resembles a snake, and the name Goodman itself. What is not so obvious is the ending of the story. Hawthorne leaves you wondering if everything that Goodman experienced in the forest was a dream or reality. I feel that this scenario leaves you in a paradox. If all Goodman Brown experienced was a dream, than what mysterious errand led him to the forest in the first place? When he bids Faith adieu he is clearly thinking of his forest rendezvous, and after he enters the forest it is apparent that the devil has been waiting for him. "You are late, Goodman Brown," said he. "The clock of the Old South was striking as I came through Boston, and that is a full fifteen minutes agone."(44) Did Goodman Brown fall asleep before his journey had even begun? .
Essentially, it is not too important whether Goodman Brown was awake or asleep during his journey, just an interesting quandary. The real meat of the story lies in the journey itself. Goodman becomes disillusioned during this journey and ultimately loses his "faith," both in reality and metaphorically. He finds out that many of the prestigious members of his community, his very own spiritual leaders, are in cahoots with the devil. Goodman Brown is unable to cope with what he has seen in the forest, whether real or imagined, and spends the rest of his life in isolation and despair. Perhaps what Hawthorne is alluding to, is that we are all sinners. Goodman Brown made an assumption that cost him dearly. He falsely believed that his fellow Puritans were just that, pure. This rigidity left him no room for compromise, he was unable to forgive them for their sins, and therefore unable to forgive himself.
