THE SCARIEST STORY

 What do you think Hawthorne's purpose was for writing this story?

To show that the people around us often lie and have more then 1 face.

Hawthorne states that Brown's wife is "aptly named" Faith.  After reading the story, do you agree?  Yes because it adds to the story. Does Faith's name fit her personality? Yes because it goes with the same idea of her pink ribbon's  Does Brown have true faith in her? I believe he wants to but many factors like them being barely married for 3 months tells me he doesn't.

What do you think the pink ribbons signify? They symbolize the innocence behind faith" letting the wind play with the pink ribbons of her cap" and "Then God bless you!" said Faith, with the pink ribbons" (Examples)

Was everything Brown witnessed real, a figment of his imagination, something conjured by evil, or a dream?  Support your answer with passages from the text. "when he had lived long, and was borne to his grave, a hoary corpse, followed by Faith, an aged woman, and children and grand-children, a goodly procession, besides neighbors, not a few, they carved no hopeful verse upon his tombstone; for his dying hour was gloom." and "Had Goodman Brown fallen asleep in the forest, and only dreamed a wild dream of a witch-meeting? Be it so, if you will. But, alas! it was a dream of evil omen for young Goodman Brown." This shows me that what he went threw was most likely a dream or a experience were many unexplained events happened.

Who do you think the old man really is? The devil  What textual clues tell you this? "Wickedness or not," said the traveler with the twisted staff " "The traveler put forth his staff, and touched her withered neck with what seemed the serpent's tail." "The devil!" screamed the pious old lady." 

What does the staff represent? "But the only thing about him that could be fixed upon as remarkable was his staff, which bore the likeness of a great black snake, so curiously wrought that it might almost be seen to twist and wriggle itself like a living serpent." This shows me that the snake is kind of like controlling him in a way if its the only thing that could be fixed upon as remarkable.  Do you think the staff leads Brown onward or is the primary motivator Brown's own conscience/mind? Good man brown is being led by both things a human always has self will but I think he's being convinced as well.

If Brown had not ventured into the forest, how would his life be different?  He would have stayed "happy" in his delusion of life.  If he'd stayed home, would Brown still have Faith?  Yes but it was better for him because he got to see the truth and sometimes the truth hurts but you just have to carry that weight. Would he still trust his wife and his fellow townspeople? Yes but like I said before the experience he had showed him the truth.