The failure to recognize the truth in humanity leaves Young Goodman Brown at a sad, skeptical, yet disparate end in Nathaniel Hawthorne's story with a title similar. At first glance, the story appears to be a reflection and denunciation of the hypocrisy of the people around Brown. Deep within the ideas of the story there is a man who believes that faith is constant, exact and fixed, but as he embarks on the journey into the forest, he realizes that this faith has no depth. Young Goodman Brown is a naive and inexperienced man who fails to recognize that there is a good and a bad side to every person. He judges the virtue of people he previously considered sincere (or free from evil) only to learn that all of them are somehow polluted by the sinfulness of the world. Hawthorne's reflection on Salem's life helps derive the moral that evil is inevitable in a person and that coming to terms with this reality can help one live to the fullest. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Hawthorne delves into a society painted with purity but clouded by evil. It divulges Goodman Brown's transformation from moral decency to moral decay and stagnation. This transition from a new and pure life to the darkness of the forest and an encounter with the devil are demonstrative of a greater moral scheme. Taking a deconstructionist perspective, it appears that with the loss of innocence, an individual comes to recognize that evil is as prevalent as good. Brown's relationship with an innocent woman, Faith, as suggested by the name, cultivates the concept of his innocence in the worldview. Once again, despite being aware that the journey he undertakes is one of “evil purposes,” he does not seem to understand the outcome of the journey as he enters the forest characterized by “excellent resolution” (Hawthorne 233). In the forest, Brown now learns to see the world and those closest to him not through the lens of innocence but as a mature person who has been brought into the world of maturity as well as that of reality. The myriad revelations, including his wife's role in the ritual forest, are meant to break the shred of innocence by letting him recognize that he too is evil. When challenged with the true nature of the good Close, he reveals that Brown is still innocent even with the conversion of a rod into a serpent. Hawthorne states that “Brown could not take note of it” (236), and this further proves that he still could not understand the true nature of humanity, which is that good and evil are intertwined. Whether through seduction or submission, evil is the song of humanity and as Hawthorne seems to suggest no one is perfect down there. Brown's naivety makes him believe that "what you see is what you get." He never bothers to understand beyond the surface and assumes everything is good based on in-your-face value. When he realizes that his people have been “in league with the devil,” Brown is distressed. The presence of evil is evident as he embarks on the journey to the forest, which symbolizes wickedness and sin (Levin 345). The road is characterized by darkness and envelops him as it quickly closes behind him, showing the abdication of faith. Walk with the devil as he moves through the forest. Brown states that “faith held him back a while,” showing that he was once true to his beliefs before he was consumed by inevitable evil (Hawthorne 217). His mental instability, inconsistency in faith, and distrust of others exemplify the conflicts between doing good and doing evil. This results in a change inconcept of trust and faith, in his personal life and in interactions with others, and in particular with his wife. As the journey into the forest continued, Brown began to distrust the community. He meets many people who go to the congregation: they all seem devout and devout community. As he sees their actions, Brown begins to distrust them, making him consider returning to his wife. He doesn't seem to recognize how to create a dichotomy between evil and good at the heart of the journey. If Brown had been convinced that every human being is inevitable, he would never have had difficulty trusting those around him. Instead, he intentionally tries to test his faith and faces an almost overwhelming challenge to bear lucidity (Levy 375). With his innocence and little exposure to harsh reality, the result of his endeavor is a hallucinatory vision of people he previously perceived as good in league with evil. The brown perception of evil in other people, according to Levin, is just his petty and wrong view of humanity. Human communion founded on the recognition of the evil selfishness present in every person is founded on the truth that only the strong can endure this harsh reality. The idea that humanity is perfect, or perhaps that good Puritans are differentiated by imperfection, seems to dominate Brown's worldview. Hawthorne uses this naivety to illustrate that any human struggle against temptation and the devil and living a completely perfect life is nearly impossible. Anyone who does not recognize this truth will eventually die to their own ruin. Not everyone, however, needs to know this truth because the sooner they recognize it, the harder it will be for them to bear it. Brown does not appreciate this truth because he believes in the realms of a perfect world where individuals are never close to worldly sin. What he doesn't understand is that no one is perfect and everyone has done something evil in the past. In fact, Brown is evil himself because he chooses to abandon the faith he strongly believed in, to the point that he decides to leave his wife and begin a journey into the forest. There is an undeniable link between human beings and evil and this, if not well understood, can cause damage to human relationships. Nathaniel Hawthorn leaves a question as to whether everyone should be left to recognize that even the closest families, friends or community carry within them some aspects of evil. The answer to this question simply depends on an individual's self-confidence. If you have faith in your ability to survive in harsh reality, even the closest people can become evil. Otherwise, a vulnerable and doubtful person like Goodman Brown is not strong enough to handle the complexity associated with recognizing that everyone has some negative attributes. Perhaps Brown misunderstood the meaning of “Faith” in his comfort, with the expectation of living an undoubtedly evil life (Hawthorne 234). Brown embodies the repercussions of embracing an overly pious attitude in a rather secularized world. He is happy with his wife, locals and faith in general, to this day convinced that they are all evil. After the discovery, he, in some way, reveals his evil aspect as a human being. Hawthorne is of the opinion that the human nature of good and evil forms an everyman character who has both of these thoughts. It means that humanity is usually an epic struggle between good and evil even in the absence of pissers or flaming catapults. Brown not only enters reality with the real devil, but also has to face his evil side: the temptations, the anger, the evils in his family. It was a battle that best demonstrates how each of us has a good and a bad side, no matter how much.