Name ______________________________
“The Young Goodman Brown” Vocab
Date _______
Directions: Complete the following Frayer models for each of the following
vocabulary words. The definitions have been provided for you.
Define:
Illustrate:
Sadness or depression of the spirits; gloom.
Part of speech:
Synonyms I know:
melancholy
Define:
Used in a sentence:
Illustrate:
Sadness or depression of the spirits; gloom.
Part of speech:
pious
Synonyms I know:
Define:
Used in a sentence:
Illustrate:
The heaven; the sky.
Part of speech:
firmament
Synonyms I know:
Used in a sentence:
Define:
Illustrate:
One who dies due for their beliefs.
Part of speech:
martyrs
Synonyms I know:
Used in a sentence:
Define:
Illustrate:
A string of garland, as of leaves or flowers,
suspended in a loop or curve between two
points.
Part of speech:
Synonyms I know:
festoon
Define:
Used in a sentence:
Illustrate:
The face or facial expression of a person;
countenance.
Part of speech:
Synonyms I know:
visage
Used in a sentence:
Define:
Illustrate:
The inner sense of what is right or wrong.
Part of speech:
conscience
Synonyms I know:
Used in a sentence:
Define:
Illustrate:
A new convert to a doctrine or religion.
Part of speech:
Synonyms I know:
proselytes
Define:
Used in a sentence:
Illustrate:
A covering, usually of cloth, suspended
over a throne or bed
Part of speech:
Synonyms I know:
canopy
Used in a sentence:
Define:
Illustrate:
Immoral or unchaste; lewd.
Part of speech:
wanton
Synonyms I know:
Used in a sentence:
Define:
Illustrate:
A vehement denunciation; a curse.
Part of speech:
Synonyms I know:
anathema
Define:
Used in a sentence:
Illustrate:
A book giving a brief summary of the basic
principles of Christianity.
Part of speech:
Synonyms I know:
catechism
Used in a sentence:
Define:
Illustrate:
Awareness of knowledge.
Part of speech:
cognizance
Synonyms I know:
Define:
Used in a sentence:
Illustrate:
To urge by a strong argument.
Part of speech:
Synonyms I know:
Define:
exhorted
Used in a sentence:
Illustrate:
To remain in spite of difficulties.
Part of speech:
Synonyms I know:
persevere
Used in a sentence:
Define:
Illustrate:
Despicable or mean.
Part of speech:
wretched
Synonyms I know:
Define:
Used in a sentence:
Illustrate:
To swear against God.
Part of speech:
Synonyms I know:
Define:
blasphemy
Used in a sentence:
Illustrate:
Morally right, without guilt.
Part of speech:
Synonyms I know:
righteousness
Used in a sentence:
Symbolism in “Young Goodman Brown”
Pink:
The color pink usually serves two purposes.
 shows childish innocence or a characters
child-like personality.
 shows a more flirtatious personality.
o normally associated with girls and
femininity.
 considered a color of good health and
life
 is associated with purity.
o for example, a girl who is a pure in
heart or pure love.
Forest/Woods:
The forest usually serves as a primary
symbol of the unconscious.
 seasonal affects on forests make them a
common symbol for places of change
 in many works, forests have a special
magic power and magical people live in
them
 forests are free of cultivation and
control, making them represent a
wildness and savagery
 when people enter the forest, they often
find themselves “lost” and in need of
guidance, which they eventually find
 there are many literary examples of
people emerging from the forest
changed…Goodman Brown is no
different.
Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Young Goodman Brown”
1. Consider the significance of the names of the title character and his wife.
2. What does Goodman Brown’s decision to go into the forest suggest about his
relationship with his wife?
3. Who is the figure that Goodman Brown meets in the forest, and how is he
characterized?
4. How does Goodman Brown view his actions in relation to his family history? How
does his companion respond to Brown’s claims about his family?
5. Consider the symbolism of the forest setting.
6. After his encounter in the forest with Goody Cloyse, Goodman Brown tries to resist
the devil’s temptations (see paragraph 39) by raising what issue?
7. At what precise moment does Goodman Brown lose his faith?
8. To what extent are we as readers asked to agree with the devil’s speech on pp. 332333 about evil being “the nature of mankind”?
9. How does Goodman Brown react to his wife and others upon his return to Salem?
Why? Is he justified in acting this way?
“Young Goodman Brown” Discussion Questions
Directions: Answer each of the questions using our classwork and your copy of the
story. Be thorough!
1. In stories like this, the characters are usually personifications of abstract ideas. For example, a
character can represent a human trait or behavior. With that in mind, what is the significance of the names
of the title character and his wife?
2. What does Goodman Brown’s decision to go into the forest suggest about his relationship with his wife?
3. How does Goodman Brown view his actions in relation to his family history? How does his companion
respond to Brown’s claims about his family?
4. Do you agree with the devil’s speech on page 7 about evil being the nature of mankind? Why?
5. How does the setting add to the meaning of the story: sunset and night, dreary road, gloomiest trees,
narrow path creeping through, lonely peculiarity in solitude? How does this imagery create the mood?
How does this help us understand the purpose of Goodman Brown’s journey?
6. After the minister and Deacon Gookin ride by, what happens to Goodman Brown? Why is this
significant? Explain the statement he makes: “With heaven above and Faith below, I will yet stand firm
with the devil!”
7. This story is an extended metaphor, meaning there is a surface literal meaning as well as a secondary
meaning. In other words, Hawthorne uses this story to reveal a moral lesson or lessons. What are the
moral lessons you discovered in the story?
8. Nathanial Hawthorne descended from John Hathorne, one of the Salem Witch Trial judges. Many
historians speculate that Hawthorne added the “w” to his last name as a means of distancing himself from
his great grandfather’s legacy. How does this revelation impact the story?
Name ______________________________
The Young Goodman Brown
Date _______
Directions: Choose ONE of the following options to show your understanding of the short story
“The Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Option A: Write an essay in which you discuss the symbols in the story. Be sure to mention all
four major symbols, break them down (analyze them), explain their role in the story and their
connections with the other symbols. Your focus should be the theme of the story, and you need
to use the symbols as your support for that theme.
Option B: Rewrite the story. You need to use the same basic plot line and the same basic premise
and theme of the story, along with the same symbols (forest, pink ribbons, faith and serpent staff).
However, this should be an updated version of the story, using contemporary diction and
plausible events. The most important factor is staying true to Hawthorne’s theme and idea of the
original. Your grade will be largely based on how true to the theme your story stays.