Goodmen gone bad

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman Brown” Hawthorne uses the protagonist, Goodman Brown to show his belief that all humans are inherently evil. Hawthorne has the protagonist go on a journey through the woods. This journey is not only a physical journey but also a journey of faith and self exploration. The events and people he encounters shows Hawthorne’s view of the world. When Hawthorne includes the religious leaders in Goodman Brown journey Hawthorne shows that he even believes that religion is not the cure for evil. Hawthorne is able to represent his belief while questioning the validity of the church and its usefulness. At the end of the story there is no true resolve. The reader never really finds out if these events did happen or not. However because of these events Goodmen Brown becomes bitter and distrusting. Hawthorne is able to show that even “Goodmen” are inherently evil and even one that is happy and has everything can be brought down to his primal self in which their is anger and hate.