�Young Goodman Brown� Questions

							            “Young Goodman Brown” Questions

Name:___________________________Period:_________Date:______

  1.   What is Brown’s motive for going into the forest? What does he
       expect from his journey? What does he expect the rest of his life
       to be like?




  2.   After he keeps his appointment with the traveler (devil) in the
       forest, Brown announces that he plans to return home. Why does
       he not do so immediately?




  3.   Why do you think the congregation of people assembled in the
       forest includes holy people as well as known sinners?




  4.   What does the devil promise Brown as a result of accepting his
       baptism?




  5.   What do you think prevents Goodman Brown from receiving
       baptism?
6.    Since Brown does not receive baptism, how do you account for his
      behavior when he returns to the village?




7.    Characterize the behavior of Faith and the rest of the
      townspeople after Brown’s return to the village.




8.    What do you believe to have happened to Brown in the forest? Did
      he really meet the devil? Or did he dream the whole thing? Did a
      combination of the two occur? Support you answer with a
      reference to the story.




9.    Why does Brown remain in the same community if he believes that
      most everyone in the community has been corrupted by the devil?




10.   If you were a witness to Brown’s behavior when he returned to the
      town, what would you think the cause of his behavior was?
11.   Determine the purpose of the short story. Who is Hawthorne’s
      audience and what does he want this audience to consider?




12.   What is the tone of the piece? Describe the narrator and the
      point of view from which this story is told.




13.   Provide at least two symbols present in the text and elaborate on
      their other meanings. How do these symbols enhance the reader’s
      understanding of the text?




14.   Isolate one or two situations in the text in which irony is used.
      Explain why the situation is ironic.




15.   Consider the author’s style. What rhetorical strategies are used
      to convey this story? Are they effective and appropriate based on
      the content of the story?