The fear that everything you believe to be true is actually a lie encompasses the theme of Young Goodman Brown, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. He exploited this emotion, which is common and yet still provided an interesting perspective. The authors purpose was not to divulge in a detailed and novelist writing, but to advance on an idea to provide a moral truth. One of the truths that he infers to is that of inward questioning and outward conformity. With the use of the character Goodman Brown, the inter workings of the moral of the story is better understood. In the case of this writing, the characters questioning took control of his sanity.
One idea that is portrayed well through Goodman Brown is the power that emotions have and how quickly a character can change from flat to round. He has an underlying suspicion that those around him are evil, which also is ironic when putting into comparison that his name has 'good' in it. The walk in the forest symbolizes the turning point in which he looses himself within the vast forest of emotion inside his mind. He succumbs to a false reality and decides to live in the exclusiveness of himself. It seems as though his quality of character has easily shattered which took him off the straight path he was headed on. Although it adds more depth to his character, Goodman Brown becomes shackled by his fear.
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