The Puritan Influence in Young Goodman Brown Nathaniel Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown (repr. in Thomas R. Arp, and Greg Johnson, Perrines Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, 8th ed. [Fort Worth: Harcourt, 2002] 316) is a short story with strong Puritan influence. Puritanism is a religion demanding strict moral conduct and strong faith. Puritans held that Christians should do only what the Bible commanded. Analyzing Young Goodman Brown is dependant upon understanding the Puritan faith. The influence of the Puritan religion is vivid in literary elements such as setting, allegory, and theme.The primary setting of Young Goodman Brown is the forest. The Puritans believed that the woods were evil because of the presence of Indians and witches, that they believed performed satanic rituals in the forest. Goodman Brown says to himself There may be a devilish Indian behind every tree (317). Goodman Brown also tells his fellow traveler My father never went into the woods on such an errand, nor his father before him. We have been a race of honest men and good Christians, since the days of the martyrs. And shall I be the first of the name Brown, that ever took this path and kept (318). This statement helps show the strong conviction of the Puritans.The other setting of the story is Salem Village. Salem Village is historically most famous for the controversial Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Trials were sparked by the political motives and imaginations of the townspeople. Many Puritans were sentenced to death for suspicion of witchcraft. The Salem Witch Trials also contributed to the taboo feeling of the forest. Young Goodman Brown is full of allegorical content relating to the Puritan religion. The names of the characters in Young Goodman Brown are the most profound examples of allegory influenced by Puritanism. The protagonist, Goodman Brown, has a name that suggests far more than just a name. Goodman Brown for example, ...
