Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a short story in which Hawthorne describes the evil experiences of Young Goodman Brown while travelling through a forest. The story is set in the town of Salem, Massachussettes in the early eighteenth century. It was the era of the Puritans, an age of reasoning. In this story,The whole story takes place in the darkness after dusk. Hawthorne uses the darkness of night, the town os Salem (popular for witch craft) and the Puritanism (where witch craft was evil) to prepare the reader's mind for all the evil described in the story.
The setting of the story is in the town of Salem Massachussetts. This town was popular for witchcraft and evil practice. The mention of Salem itself gives a feeling of evil, fear in the readers mind. And as if Salem was not enough, Young Brown's journety is on a dark road in the forest.
Asian Brown Tortoise / Burmese Star Tortoise
Salem, Oregon
English: Title page for Mosses from an Old Manse b...Hawthorne describes the road as dreary road and describes the dense trees in the forest. The path was narrow and creepy. This description itself makes the reader think that something evil is going to happen. The reader's mind wonders why Brown had to take this scary path. Hawthorne also mentions that it seemed like there was an Indian hiding behind every tree. This again prepares the reader for some unexpected dangerous action or happening. As the reader continues to read and as Young Brown continues to travel down the scary path in the forest, both feel a sense of fear, heartbeat increasing with nervousness.
The story starts at dusk. Young Goodman Brown leaves his home at sunset despite his wife's request to spend that night in his own bed. Goodman Brown tells his wife that this so called journey must be completed between the sunset and...