Hawthorne, Nathaniel: 1804-1864
Young Goodman Brown, 1835 - Chapter Summaries
- The chapters are grouped into manageable sections.
- Chapters 1: Goodman Brown Leaves Salem
Young Goodman Brown leaves his wife, Faith, in Salem at sunset to enter the forest on a mysterious journey, even though Faith begs him not to go. Brown knows that his journey is morally questionable, but he believes he will return before morning and remain a good Christian man. - Chapters 2: Brown Meets the Traveler
In the forest, Brown meets an older man who looks surprisingly similar to him and carries a staff resembling a serpent. The traveler reveals that he knows Brown's family and claims that Brown's ancestors had connections with evil, which begins to weaken Brown's belief that his family and community are completely righteous. - Chapters 3: Brown Discovers the Hypocrisy of Salem
The traveler encounters Goody Cloyse, a respected religious woman who recognizes him and admits that she has been involved with the Devil. Brown then learns that other respected members of Salem, including religious leaders and community members, are also traveling toward the forest for a secret gathering. - Chapters 4: Brown Sees Faith at the Gathering
Brown discovers that his wife, Faith, has also been brought into the forest and appears to be participating in the evil gathering. He desperately urges her to resist, but the sight causes him to feel that everyone he has trusted is corrupt. - Chapters 5: The Satanic Ceremony
At the gathering, Brown sees Salem's most respected people participating in a ceremony devoted to evil, where he and Faith are apparently expected to join them. The ceremony suggests that everyone possesses a hidden sinful nature, and Brown desperately cries out for Faith to resist before the scene suddenly disappears. - Chapters 6: Brown Returns to Salem
Brown wakes alone in the forest the next morning and returns to Salem, where everything appears normal, but he can no longer trust the people around him. He spends the rest of his life suspicious of his family, neighbors, and religious community because he believes he has witnessed their secret corruption.