Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne provides historical, social, religious, scientific, and biographical context. The story is set during the time of the Salem witch trials in Puritan New England. The story describes Brown's journey deep into the forest, where he believes he sees many members of his community, including his wife Faith, participating in a satanic ceremony. The narrator implies that Brown may be asleep, but in any case the experience was real. It made a big impression on Brown. The story is often read as Hawthorne's condemnation of Puritan ideology, as he suggests that Puritan doctrine could raise so many doubts that believers were condemned to see evil, whether or not it truly existed, in themselves and above all in others. Evidence can be found in Young Goodman Brown's story that collectivity in community life would be considered moral and that individualism would be considered immoral in society. Eventually it becomes clear that a communalist lifestyle is a necessary evil. Through Goodman Brown's discovery of the corruptibility that comes from Puritan society's emphasis on public morality, one can reconstruct the idea that man is a social being and must be included in some kind of community; whether the community itself is moral or immoral. When Brown is approached by another traveler with a large stick that looks like a snake; the devil's staff was surrounded by a carved serpent. This comes from the biblical symbol of the serpent as an evil demon. In the Book of Genesis, the serpent tempts Eve to eat the forbidden fruit of the forbidden tree; that defied God's will. When the devil tells Brown to use the cane to travel faster, Brown follows his advice, just like Eve, he is... middle of paper... and gets angry when the devil tells him he says this was not the case. He himself is ashamed to be seen walking in the forest and hides when Goody Cloyse, the minister and Deacon Gookin pass by. The forest is characterized as evil, frightening, and dark, and Goodman Brown only finds himself comfortable in it after succumbing to evil. Works Cited Folsom, James K. "Man's Accidents and God's Purposes." Multiplicity in Hawthorne's Fiction.New Haven: College and University Press 1963.Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown." Literature: A paperback anthology. Ed. Gwynn, RS. Third edition. New York: Longman Publishers 2007. 198-209. Paey, Stephanie. "Symbolism and Human Nature in Nathaniel Hawthorne's Young GoodmanBrown." Yahoo! Network of contributors. April 8, 2006. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/27166/symbolism_and_human_nature_in_nathaniel.html