As Goodman
Brown travels through the woods, he meets a man that the narrator says could have been an older
version of Goodman.They might have been taken for father and son. This statement is the first
clue of who the stranger is, but Goodman does not recognize yet. Next, the narrator states that
the stranger had an indescribable air of one who knew the world. He has a certain
sophistication and self-confidence. Finally, the narrator describes the staff that the stranger
holds, which looks like a great black snake. In fact, the narrator swears the staff appears to
twist and wriggle itself like a living serpent. Dismissing this last statement as an illusion
brought on by the darkness, the narrator continues the story.
However, the
readers cannot dismiss the clues that Hawthorne has given. Even if Goodman does not understand
right away that he is dealing with Satan himself, the readers must recognize that fact. The
clues are there. The man takes on Goodmans form: the devil is known to be able to take on any
form in order to tempt people. It would make sense that he takes on the form of Goodmans father,
so that Goodman will trust him. He carries a snake staff which seems to come alive: in the
Bible, the devil is known as the serpent who tempts Eve into taking the forbidden apple. Surely,
Satan would be able to make his walking stick come alive since he is supernatural; and what
symbol is more appropriate for him than a snake?
This part of the story is
significant in that it introduces Goodman and the reader to the evil that Goodman encounters,
and it helps to characterize a dark side of the . Although he is a good man, he knowingly
walks into the dark forest at night; he knows what he will encounter there. The forest was an
object of fear to Puritans, who believed that the devil lurked there waiting for someone to
tempt. Anyone who willingly entered the forest was looking for trouble, so Goodman is not as
innocent as he is portrayed.
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