In Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown," the
literal path Brown takes is that which carries him away from his home and his new wife,
into and through the forest on some unidentified errand. Along the way he meets an old
man who walks with him, and others from the town pass by as
well.
However, the literal path is not the one that carries
the story's true message. The figurative the path is symbolic of the path one chooses to
take in life. Hawthorne is presenting a picture of following an
upright, moral path, or a path of sin. It is a part of the human condition that each
person makes such a choice, maybe without even realizing it—which road to
follow?
In this story, the path is not
littered with temptations as one might expect, but by the presence of people Brown
knows. His own outlook on life seems too weak to withstand the imperfections of others.
When he realizes that others are sinful, it does not motivate him to lead a more
virtuous life, but turns his heart into a cold, hard thing inside that feels no charity,
no forgiveness for other sinners (as it seems he forgets to include
himself as a sinner), and he becomes anything
but the loving person the Bible teaches he should be. The author alludes to the Puritans
with his tale—they showed no sympathy, no support, and no concern for one another. They
were inflexible and judgmental, and were responsible for the Salem Witch
Trials.
Literally, Brown is taking a walk. Figuratively, he
is walking a path where his destination does not depend on where he
places his feet, but where others place
theirs, following not God, but imperfect people, and losing faith
because he does so.
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