"Young Goodman Brown" Paragraphs

"Young Goodman Brown" Paragraphs

Type this assignment:  Write a sizable (at least 1/3 of a page) about each of the following.  Explain who these people are and what part  they play in the story.  Items: what significance do they have in the story.

1. Goodman Brown"

2. Fellow-traveler

3. staff

4. catechism

5. maple stick

6. Faith

7. pink ribbon

8. forest

Videos: Scroll Down To The Chapter Of The Week

1. What does young Goodman Brown mean when he says "of all nights in the year, this one night must I tarry away from thee" (par. 3)?  What is important about this particular night, and why does Goodman Brown believe he must journey "'twixt now and sunrise"?

2.  Where are the times that Goodman Brown paused and resolved not to go any further into the forest?  How do you think this relates to life in general?

3. Is Goodman Brown surprised to encounter the second traveler on the road, or does he seem to expect him?  What is the significance of their encounter?  What do you make of the fact that the stranger bears a strong resemblance to young Goodman Brown?

4. What sins are the various characters Goodman Brown meets in the woods guilty of committing?

5. "Young Goodman Brown" has two distinct settings:  Salem and the woods.  What are the differences between these settings?  What significance does each setting have in the story?

6. Why do the people gather in the woods?  Why do they attend the ceremony?

7. Explain the change that takes place in young Goodman Brown at the end of the story.  Why can he not listen to the singing of holy psalms or to the minister's sermons?  What causes him to turn away from Faith and die in gloom?

8. At the end of the story, the narrator suggests that Goodman Brown might have fallen asleep and imagined his encounter with the witches.  Do you think the events in the story are all a dream?