Losing the good' in Goodman

Nataniel Hawthorne, in "Young Goodman Brown", presents a clearly allegorical tale, and theme of man's struggle with morality and sin, as Hawthorne is prone to do. The first allegorical reference comes when he has to leave his wife faith, which the audience can assume functions as a metaphor for Goodman losing his own faith. In the beginning of the story, Goodman tells his wife "my journey... needs to be done... What, my sweet, pretty wife, dost thou doubt me already, and we but three months married." Obviously, this presents Goodman's relationship to his faith, having been devoted for the last three years, but only now coming to question it. Also, Goodman says assuredly that he will return to his faith, when in reality he treats faith radically different after his transformation. The entire story deals with Goodman's faith as a metaphor for puritan values. First he leaves his faith, then he loses his faith, and then he calls out to his faith to resist the temptation of the devil.

The devil is created through an old man with a snake, and is constantly trying to tempt Goodman, in keeping with the allegorical reference to the snake. He points out the wrong doings of others, and their hypocrisy to try and gain support to convert Goodman. In the end, despite the fact that it is unclear as to whether or not Goodman fully committed himself to the devil, he is clearly not happy after his trip. This brings up the message of the story. Hawthorne likes to write about Puritan themes, and having grown up in Salem with a ancestor that was part of the Witch Trials, it is no surprise. I believe the message Hawthorne was trying to send is that one can live their lives in blissful ignorance, but once you learn the truth about others and their wrongdoings, it is very difficult to maintain that level of faith. Perhaps he is also exposing some hypocrisy in puritan ideals. This would definitely support the second camp which believes Goodman was initiated into reality.

I definitely see how Brown falls into delusion, but I'm not necessarily sure if delusion and being initiated into reality are mutually exclusive, and in the story, I think Goodman becomes delusioned through his realization of reality.