Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1804; he was an American fiction writer and a romanticist. Hawthorne is well-known for his novel The Scarlet Letter and short story "Young Goodman Brown". Hawthorne's father was a sea captain father who died when Hawthorne was four years old. Hawthorne's great-great-grandfather served as a judge in the Salem witch trials of 1692 (Young Goodman Brown). During the trials, women and men were accused of being witches and sentenced to be hung (Kirszner and Mandell 445). The actions of Hawthorne's ancestors during the Salem witch trials left Hawthorne feeling guilty. He spent most of his time wondering about the evil actions of humans and the idea of original sin. Hawthorne wrote stories based on these themes, including "Young Goodman Brown" (Young Goodman Brown). Hawthorne was known to use many literary methods including allegory and symbolism in his writings. "Young Goodman Brown" is a short story filled with good examples of allegory and symbolism.
             "Young Goodman Brown" is about a young, Puritan man named Young Goodman Brown who goes on a journey despite his wife's fearful protests. He encounters an old man who is actually the Devil is disguise. Goodman Brown notices that the old man has a close resemblance to him and his grandfather, and that he is carrying a snake staff. Goodman Brown becomes uneasy and changes his mind about continuing into the forest until the old man convinces him to continue. During his journey, Goodman Brown encounters several events that eventually cause him to lose his faith in his religion and beliefs. Goodman Brown and his companion have an encounter with Goody Cloyse, an old woman who is Goodman Brown's moral adviser. She knows the old man very well as she talks with him about the meeting being held in the forest. Goodman Brown realizes that Goody Cloyse is a witch. Goodman Brown and the...