Young Goodman Brown
I think that Young Goodman Brown really did walked through the forest. In the text we can find some key points that give us the lead that he wasn't dreaming any of it. He also did describe what he lived so vividly that it was really hard to believe that all this just happened in his head. Here are the following reasons why I believe Young Goodman Brown was actually awake living a nightmare. Hawthorne seems to connect dots that we sometimes forget to connect.
One of the main reasons is that I believe that Goodman was awake is because as he is walking along the forest it never mentions that he stopped to rest and than saw the old man approach. "He arose, at Goodman Brown's approach, and walked onward, side by side with him." The old man walked towards Goodman as he arrived." Goodman never stopped he was still moving so there was no way he could've been asleep. The author obviously would of said that Goodman stopped to rest and than the elder man would of walked into the story. Hawthorne made it clear that he himself probably felt that even the Devil can be real. The old man is a symbol that represents the other evil entity.
My second reason is that the Elder man knew a lot of information from Goodman's background. In a part of the story the elder man tells Goodman he was well acquainted with his family. The old man says," I have been as well acquainted with your family as with ever a one among the Puritans; and that's no trifle to say. I helped your grandfather, the constable, when he lashed the Quaker woman so smartly through the streets of Salem." This just shows that this entity is older than what he looks like. He should be dead if he knows that many generations of Goodman's family. The thought of a character like the old man to be older than anyone in the world just hints that the author may have some religious bias in his life.
My third reason is that Goodman seems to be doing things against his will almost as if he was being controlled. Goodman keeps trying to stop from walking but he seems unable to. The snake on the old man's staff say's, "Sayest thou so?" after Goodman says he won't walk any further this follows by the snake smiling and saying, "Let us walk on nevertheless, reasoning as we go, and if I convince thee not, thou shalt turn back. We are but a little way in the forest, yet." And with this Goodman keeps on moving even if he isn't doing this by his will. The staff seemed to be able to posses him. Also he saw many people that had higher positions which is always a conspiracy of how people get in power. Hawthorne actually includes a scenario where a character is being controlled by a higher power.
In conclusion I think that Hawthorne might have gotten his ideas of evil entities and higher powers from his life style. He includes the witch trials which where done due to religious believes. Hawthorne could of maybe made this "story" up to something he might of happened to him or he could have heard of.
My third reason is that Goodman seems to be doing things against his will almost as if he was being controlled. Goodman keeps trying to stop from walking but he seems unable to. The snake on the old man's staff say's, "Sayest thou so?" after Goodman says he won't walk any further this follows by the snake smiling and saying, "Let us walk on nevertheless, reasoning as we go, and if I convince thee not, thou shalt turn back. We are but a little way in the forest, yet." And with this Goodman keeps on moving even if he isn't doing this by his will. The staff seemed to be able to posses him. Also he saw many people that had higher positions which is always a conspiracy of how people get in power. Hawthorne actually includes a scenario where a character is being controlled by a higher power.
In conclusion I think that Hawthorne might have gotten his ideas of evil entities and higher powers from his life style. He includes the witch trials which where done due to religious believes. Hawthorne could of maybe made this "story" up to something he might of happened to him or he could have heard of.
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