3. Summary
Young Goodman Brown sets off on a journey through the woods. He
leaves his wife, Faith, at home even though she tries to convince
him to stay. He takes a walk through the forest and encounters a
strange man with a walking staff. He is presumed to be the Devil.
Brown sees other people walking along the same immoral path;
people he knows to be good Christians. Eventually, Brown arrives at
his destination: a witchcraft ceremony. He recognizes many from
the town, including his wife Faith. He and Faith are led to the center
of the ceremony and are inducted into the group of witches. Brown
tries to tell Faith to resist temptation and suddenly, he’s alone in the
forest. Unsure of whether the events were all a dream, he returns
home. He is changed forever, and can no longer see the good in
people, especially in Faith.
4. Plot Overview
The short story is set in 19th century
Salem village. Goodman Brown tells
his wife, Faith, goodbye. She asks him
to stay with her because she feels
scared when she’s alone. He tells her
that he’ll only be gone for the night
and instructs her to say her prayers
before she goes to sleep. He leaves
her, thinking that she might know
where he’s going, and promises
himself to be a better person.
“Young Goodman Brown came forth at
sunset into the street at Salem village; but
put his head back, after crossing the
threshold, to exchange a parting kiss with
his young wife. And Faith, as the wife was
aptly named, thrust her own pretty head
into the street, letting the wind play with
the pink ribbons of her cap while she called
to Goodman Brown. ‘Dearest heart,’
whispered she, ‘prithee put off your journey
until sunrise. A lone woman is troubled.’…
‘Poor little Faith!’ thought he, ‘What a
wretch am I to leave her on such an
errand! She talks of dreams, too. I thought
as she spoke there was trouble in her face,
as if a dream had warned her what work is
to be done tonight.”
5. Goodman Brown sets off on a
gloomy forest road, afraid of what
hides behind each tree. He fears that
there may be Indians or the Devil
himself in the wood. He comes across
a strange man who greets Brown as if
he was expecting him. The man looks
ordinary except for a walking staff
carved like a serpent. It looks so
lifelike that it appears to be moving.
“He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all
the gloomiest trees of the forest… and there is
this peculiarity in such a solitude, that the
traveler knows not who may be concealed by
the innumerable trunks and the thick boughs
overhead. His head turned back… and beheld
the figure of a man…’You are late, Goodman
Brown,’ said he. ‘Faith kept me back a while,’
replied the young man, with a tremor in his
voice, caused by the sudden appearance of
his companion, though not wholly unexpected.
But the only thing about him that could be
fixed upon as remarkable was his staff, which
bore the likeness of a great black snake, so
curiously wrought that it might almost be seen
to twist and wriggle itself like a living serpent.
This, of course, must have been an ocular
deception, assisted by the uncertain light.”
6. Goodman Brown’s strange
companion offers him his walking
staff, telling him that it might help him
walk faster. Brown refuses, saying that
he showed up for their meeting
because he is a man of his word, but
that he doesn’t wish to touch the
staff, and would rather return home.
Brown explains that his family
members have been good Christians,
and that he is ashamed to be
meeting with the man. His
companion then tells Brown that he
knew his father and grandfather, and
many others of the town, including
the governor.
“Come Goodman Brown… Take my
staff if you are so soon weary.’ ‘Friend,’
said the other… ‘having kept covenant
by meeting thee here, it is my purpose
now to return from where I came… My
father never went into the woods on
such an errand, nor his father before
him. We have been a race of honest
men and good Christians.’…‘Well said,
Goodman Brown! I have been as well
acquainted with your family… They
were my good friends, both… I have
general acquaintance here in New
England. The deacons of many a
church, the selectmen of divers towns,
the governor and I, too—But these are
state secrets.”
7. Brown is particularly confused by the
man’s words and tells him that even if
this is true, he wants to return to the
village for Faith’s sake. The two then
come across an old woman walking
through the woods. Brown recognizes
Goodie Cloyse, who he knows to be
a good and respected woman. He
hides, embarrassed, and Cloyse
identifies the man as the Devil, and
herself, a witch on her way to the
Devil’s ceremony.
“Can this be so?’ cried Goodman
Brown…’Well, then, to end the matter
at once… there is my wife, Faith. It
would break her dear little heart… As
he spoke [the man] pointed his staff at
a female figure on the path, in whom
Goodman Brown recognized a very
pious and exemplary dame… ‘The
Devil!’ screamed the pious old lady…
Thus the pair proceeded, at a good
free pace, until suddenly, in a gloomy
hollow of the road, Goodman Brown sat
himself down on the stump of a tree
and refused to go any farther.”
8. Despite seeing Goodie Cloyce and
now knowing the true identity of his
companion, Brown tells the man he
wants to turn back, for Faith’s sake.
The man says that Brown should rest,
and before disappearing into the
woods, he leaves his staff. He says
that it will bring him to the ceremony
if he changes his mind.
“Friend,’ said he, stubbornly, ‘my
mind is made up. Not another step
will I budge on this errand.’…’You will
think better of this by and by,’ said his
acquaintance, composedly. ‘Sit here
and rest yourself a while; and when
you feel like moving again, there is
my staff to help you along.’ Without
more words, he threw his companion
the maple stick, and was speedily
out of sight as if he had vanished into
the deepening gloom.”
9. After the Goodman Brown is left
alone, he hears the voices of the
church and a deacon. He realizes
that they are also on their way to the
ceremony. Shocked, he swears to
himself that even though everyone
else has turned evil, for Faith’s sake,
he will stay true to God. He soon
hears voices from the ceremony and
thinks he recognizes Faith’s voice. He
calls her name and a pink ribbon
from her hat floats down from the sky.
“On came the hoof tramps and the voices of
riders… It vexed him the more, because he
could have sworn, were such a thing possible,
that he recognized the voices of the minister
and Deacon Gookin. ‘With heaven above and
Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the
Devil!’ cried Goodman Brown… Aloft in the air,
as if from the depths of the cloud, came a
confused and doubtful sound of voices…both
pious and ungodly…There was one voice of a
young woman…with an uncertain
sorrow…’Faith! Shouted Goodman Brown…The
cry of grief, rage, and terror was yet piercing
the night, when the unhappy husband held his
breath for a response… But something fluttered
lightly down through the air and caught on the
branch of a tree. The young man seized it, and
beheld a pink ribbon.”
10. Certain that there is no good left in
the world because Faith has turned
to evil, Brown grabs the staff. It pulls
him quickly through the forest and he
soon arrives at the ceremony. It is
taking place in a clearing in the
woods, and the trees surrounding it
are on fire. He recognizes a lot of
people from the town but he doesn't
see Faith, so he starts to hope that
she is still safe.
"My Faith is gone!" cried he, after one
stupefied moment. "There is no good
on earth; and sin is but a name.
Come, devil; for to thee is this world
given.' and, maddened with
despair... did Goodman Brown grasp
the staff and set forth again... The
mass of foliage that had overgrown
the summit of the rock was all on fire,
blazing high into the night and fitfully
illuminating the whole field... 'But
where is Faith.' thought Goodman
Brown; and, as hope came into his
heart, he trembled."
11. A figure appears in the center of the
group, and says to the followers to
present the converts. Goodman
Brown sees his father calling him
forward and his mother trying to hold
him back. Before he can make a
decision, the deacon and the
minister pull him forward. Goody
Cloyse and another woman bring
forth another person who is covered
so that her identity is secret. They
remove the cover, and Faith is
standing in front of Goodman Brown.
He tells her to resist temptation, and
he is suddenly all alone in the woods.
"Bring forth the converts!' cried a voice
that echoed through the field and
rolled into the forest... 'Welcome, my
children, said the dark figure.'... 'Look
upon each other.' They did so; and, by
the blaze of the torches, the wretched
man beheld his Faith, and the wife her
husband, trembling before that
unhallowed altar... And there they
stood, the only pair, as it seemed, who
were yet hesitating on the verge of
wickedness in this dark world. 'Faith!
Faith!,' cried the husband, 'look up to
heaven, and resist the wicked one...
Hardly had he spoke when he found
himself amid calm night and solitude."
12. Goodman Brown returns home, and
all the people he sees seems evil to
him. Finally, he sees Faith and refuses
to greet her. He's unsure whether it
was all a dream, but it changed his
life. He no longer trusts anyone in the
village and he lives the rest of his life
unhappy and afraid.
"The next morning, Young Goodman
Brown came slowly into the street of
Salem village, staring around him like
a bewildered man... Had Goodman
Brown fallen asleep in the forest, and
only dreamed a wild dream of a
witch meeting?... A stern, a sad, a
darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not
a desperate man did he become
from the night of that fearful dream."
13. Hero’s Journey
Young Goodman Brown is a short story written
by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story follows the
Hero's Journey. It begins in the ordinary
village of Salem. Goodman Brown says
goodbye to his wife, Faith, who begs him to
stay because she gets scared when she is left
alone. He comforts her and says that he will
return shortly. He then sets off on a walk
through the forest. He comes across a
strange man with a walking stick along the
road. This is the meeting of the mentor in the
Hero's Journey. The man tells Goodman
Brown to take his walking stick because it will
help him walk faster. This is the call for
change, but Brown refuses. He says that he
doesn't want to touch the staff and wants to
return home. The man tells him that he knew
his father and grandfather, and begins
naming others in the village. This would be
leaving the comfort zone or crossing the
threshold in the Hero's Journey.
14. Suddenly an old woman, who Brown knows to be a good Christian, appears in
the forest. Brown finds out that the man is the Devil, and the woman is a witch.
This would be one of the obstacles in the Hero's Journey. Brown still says that he
wants to go back home for Faith. The man gives Brown his staff so that he can
join them if he changes his mind. Brown starts hearing the voices of the minister
and a deacon, and he goes toward them. As he approaches, he thinks he
recognizes Faith's voice and he realizes that no one is safe from the Devil's
power. He grabs the staff and it quickly takes him to the ceremony. This is the
consensus. When he arrives, he sees his father, mother, the minister, and others
he would have never expected to be dealing with the Devil. His father tries to
pull him towards the Devil, while his mother tries to hold him back. Before he can
make a decision, the deacon drags him towards another convert that is
covered so that their identity is hidden. This is the relapse in the Hero's Journey.
When it is revealed that it is Faith, Brown tells her to look toward Heaven and
resist the Devil's temptation. This is the last minute danger of the Hero's Journey.
Brown is left alone in the forest, and he heads back towards the village. He sees
the minister, the deacon, the old woman, and finally Faith, who he now sees as
evil and corrupted. Because of this he lives the rest of his days unable to see the
good in people and this is the conclusion of the Hero's Journey.
16. Summary
The movie is set in a 19th century village called Covington. The people of the
village live simply and have interesting beliefs. There are "Those They Don't Speak
Of” lurking in the forest. The people live in fear and never venture into the
woods. The story begins with the death of a child. Since they don't have modern
medicines, one man, Lucius Hunt, offers to go through Covington Woods, to the
towns. There, he could get medicine that may prevent others from dying. He
goes before the council that runs the village and they refuse his offer, saying its
too dangerous. Ivy, the main character, is introduced. Ivy is a very independent
person, despite the fact that she is blind. Ivy is in love with Lucius and eventually,
Lucius admits that he loves her too. They make plans to get married but Ivy's
friend, Noah, doesn't want to lose her because he loves her too. He tries to kill
Lucius, and runs away. When Ivy finds Lucius, she offers to go to the towns to get
medicine that would save his life. Her father refuses at first, but eventually agrees
to let her go. He tells her the truth about the "creatures" in the forest, and she
ventures into the woods. She is able to get medicine and return home safely to
help Lucius.
18. Synopsis
The story takes place in
Covington, a 19th century town.
The woods that surround the
village are off limits to the people
because of scary creatures that
live there. Many years before, the
Elders made an agreement with
the creatures that keeps people
from entering the woods, and the
creatures from entering the
village. One of the Elders, August,
loses his son to a disease for which
they have no cure. Lucius Hunt
offers to go through the woods to
get medicines that could prevent
this from happening again.
19. “
”
My mother is unaware of the reason for my visit today. She did not
give her consent or consult me in any form. The passing of little Daniel
Nicholson from illness, and other events have weighed on my
thoughts. I ask permission to cross into the forbidden woods and travel
to the nearest town. I will gather new medicines, and I will return. With
regards to Those We Don't Speak Of, I am certain they will let me pass.
Creatures can sense emotion and fear. They will see I am pure of
intention and not afraid. The end.
LUCIUS HUNT
20. Lucius keeps to himself and rarely
speaks to most people. When Kitty
Walker confesses her undying love for
him, he refuses her request to marry her.
Lucius has been friends with her
younger sister, Ivy, for a very long time.
Ivy is an independent, strong willed girl.
She has been blind since she was very
young but she claims that Lucius has a
color around him that she can see. Ivy is
friends with Noah, who has a mental
illness. One day, Noah gives Ivy some
berries he picked. She is at first thankful
but Lucius then tells her that the berries
are "the bad color". According to their
legends, the color red attracts the
creatures and yellow repels them.
Lucius discovers that the berries don't
grow in the village and that Noah has
traveled into the woods and returned,
unharmed by the creatures.
21. He offers once again, and his request
is denied. His mother, Alice Hunt,
warns him that the towns are terrible
places and are what is responsible for
the death of his father. Lucius makes
note of a locked box that his mother
owns. All the Elders have a box with
hidden things from their past; from
before they established Covington.
The next day, he has patrol duty on
the border of the woods. He goes a
ways into the forest and is unharmed,
but knows he has to go back. Later
on he goes to Ivy's house to talk to
her. She voices her disapproval of his
plan.
22. Shortly after, the alarm bell sounds
and everyone rushes inside their
houses. The creatures have shown up
in the village but Ivy waits outside
because she knows that Lucius will
come back to make sure she is safe.
Lucius manages to get Ivy inside
before a creature attacks her, and
everyone hides until morning. The
next day, they find red marks on their
houses, and they hold a town
meeting. Edward Walker informs the
people that they think that the
creatures felt threatened by
something they did. Lucius comes
forward to tell of his going into the
woods, and that he is afraid he is the
cause, but he is not punished.
23. That night, Ivy finds Lucius sitting
on her front porch. They talk and
they finally admit that they love
each other. The next day, they
tell the Elders of their plans to be
married. Word travels fast
through he village, and soon
after, Lucius is visited by Noah.
Noah is crying and upset about
the announcement and he stabs
Lucius several times trying to kill
him. He runs away to hide. When
his mother finds Noah with blood
on his hands, they lock him up in
a house and try to find the
person that is hurt.
24. When Ivy hears the news that
someone has been hurt, she
immediately goes looking of
Lucius. She finds him dying and
her father takes him, so they can
attempt to save his life. They find
out that they cannot save him
with the medicines they have,
and Ivy tells her father that she
must go to the town. Her father
takes her to an old shed, and tells
her the truth about the creatures.
They are just costumes created
by the Elders to keep people in
fear.
25. Edward gives her instructions on how to reach "The Towns" and gives
her his own permission. He goes back to the Elders to tell them what
he has done, and they berate him for making this decision without
consulting them. He stands by his choice, and says that he did
everything he could do to protect the village.
26. Ivy starts off into the woods with two companions. They both get
scared and return home. Ivy is left alone to finish her task. She soon
comes across a large pit created by a fallen tree, which almost
claims her life. But she is able to get out and continue. She hears
strange noises and a creature appears. It charges her several times
and she is able to use her senses to lead it to the pit, and trick it into
falling to its death. It is revealed that the creature was Noah. He
crawled out from beneath the floorboards of the house, found the
costume, and came after Ivy. Ivy comes across a hedge and a
fence, which she is able to climb over. As she does this, her father
open the locked box he has.
27. It is revealed that the village is
actually in present day
Pennsylvania, isolated from the
rest of the world. It was created
by Edward and the other
elders. After his father was
murdered, Edward joined a
support group which is where
he met the rest of the council.
They had all suffered losses, as a
result of peoples' wickedness.
They came up with the idea to
create a town that could be
safe...
28. Back at the wall, Ivy finds a paved road, and soon a man, who looks
like an officer, in a jeep pulls up. She tells him that she needs the
medicines and he tells her to wait for him there. He drives to a
ranger station, and it is discovered that the village is actually in the
middle of the Walker Wildlife Preserve and that the preserve was
paid big money to take precautions, such as keeping planes from
flying over. The park ranger gets the medicines for Ivy and returns to
her. He asks her where she is from and she tells him that she is from
he woods. Not even knowing that she stepped into the real world,
she is able to return home and save Lucius. The Elders agree to keep
up their story to keep the town safe.
29. Hero’s Journey
The Village is set in a 19th century village. It
begins with the introduction of the characters,
who live simple lives. It highlights some of their
beliefs and traditions. There are "Those They Don't
Speak Of" in the forest, that are evil and scary.
The call for change in the Hero's Journey is the
death of a boy in the village. This inspires Lucius
to offer to go beyond the borders to get
medicines and return to help. He presents his
idea to the council of Elders, but they refuse to
let him go. The council, including Ivy's (the main
character) father, and Lucius's mother, are the
mentors of the story. Despite the council's
warnings, Lucius ventures into the edge of the
woods, but doesn't travel far. This is leaving the
comfort zone in the Hero's Journey. The first
obstacle of the movie is Lucius being stabbed by
Noah. Noah tries to kill him because Lucius
intended to marry Ivy (and Noah was in love with
her). Ivy then asks her father's permission to travel
to the towns to get the medicines that could
save his life. After much deliberation, the council
allows her to go.
30. The big change in the Hero's Journey is when her father tells Ivy the
truth about "Those They Don't Speak Of". They are actually costumes,
created by the Elders, to keep the people of the village in fear of
the outside world. She sets off on her journey into the woods with
two companions. They get scared and turn back. Her biggest
challenge is that she is blind. She continues to make her way
through the forest and is eventually found by a creature. She is
chased, but manages to trick it into falling to its death, when it is
revealed to be Noah. This is the last minute challenge of the Hero's
Journey. She crosses the wall and makes it to a place that has
medicines. She is able to return home and save Lucius.
31. Basis of Comparison
Young Goodman Brown and The Village share many common
themes. The main characters, for example, have similar motivations.
Young Goodman Brown was motivated by his love for Faith. Ivy was
also motivated for her love for Lucius.
Both Brown and Ivy are innocent at the beginning of their stories.
Brown sees the best in people and Ivy, like the rest of the village, is
sheltered.
Both stories have a common good and evil theme. In Young
Goodman Brown, the main conflict is between Brown’s desire to be
good and his temptation to fall to evil. In The Village, the line
between good and evil is not as clear. The people of the village see
the townspeople as evil, but the Elders could also be considered the
ones at fault for some of the conflicts.
32. At the conclusion of both the movie and the story, the main
characters are forever changed. Brown sees everyone as evil and
untrustworthy. Ivy discovers the truth about the creatures.
They also end up being the only ones in their stories who know the
truth.
33. Bibliography
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown." The Literature
Network. Web. 02 May 2014. <http://www.online-
literature.com/poe/158/>.
The Village. Dir. M. Night Shayamalan. Perf. Bryce Dallas Howard,
Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody. Touchstone Pictures, 2004. DVD.
