About the Author | Reading | Evaluating in Context | Experiencing | Interpreting


Nathaniel Hawthorne: Interpreting

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  1. How does doubt play a role in Young Goodman Brown’s experience in the woods? Does he feel that he knows what is real and what is not? What does the story suggest about what happens when we’re taught that nothing can be trusted?

  2. Does Young Goodman Brown exemplify the Puritan belief that all men (and women) are evil at heart? Is this how he sees himself? Is this how he sees others? Why or why not?

  3. Explain how “Young Goodman Brown” works as an allegory. How could you tell an uninformed reader ways to recognize if they are reading an allegory? What were clues in the story to tell you that the story worked on more than one level?


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