YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN 1. What is the tone at the very beginning of the story? What words does Hawthorne use to establish this tone and the resulting mood on the part of the reader? He must resist temptation
2. The “journey” motif is used frequently in literature. Explain what figurative/symbolic journey Goodman Brown takes in the story.
3. List at least three direct quotes in which Goodman Brown refers to Faith. What is Hawthorne’s purpose in including these references? (Think about “Faith” in more than one way.)
4. Hawthorne occasionally throws in a little dry humor. Find an example of this and note it for this question.
5. All main characters in literature learn something in the course of a story, and as a result of this, they change by the end. In this story, how does Goodman Brown change, and what did he learn that caused this change?
6. What happens to Goodman Brown’s attitude as the story progresses? Provide specific references.
7. In the story’s last sentence, Hawthorne says, “…they carved no hopeful verse upon his tombstone, for his dying hour was gloom.” If Brown was not directly involved in what went on during the course of the story (the townspeople going to the “meeting”), why was his dying hour one of gloom?
8. What is the story’s theme/message? Refer to passages that make this theme/message clear. 9. Why does Hawthorne leave the reader wondering whether the story is a dream or reality?
10. How can this strange story be related to the modern world today?