Nathaniel Hawthorne was a Romantic and Gothic writer who wrote short stories and novels. His ancestor was a judge known for his harsh punishments. Hawthorne didn't want to be associated with those kinds of people, so he changed the spelling of his last name. Examples of his short stories are "Young Goodman Brown", "The Minister's Black Veil", and "The Birthmark", with sin being an important theme in all three of these novels. Sin is when a person commits a crime against God; it is breaking God's rules, the Ten Commandments, which he put in place to protect individuals. Sin hurts the sinner and others for selfish or false reasons. As a result, individuals obsessed with sin find themselves isolated. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original Essay In “Young Goodman Brown,” Goodman Brown, the protagonist, lies to his wife, Faith, about the purpose of his trip and told him that he I will be back before sunrise and don't worry. Faith tries to stop him from leaving; However, Goodman Brown remains stubborn and crosses a deserted road into the forest where he encounters a mysterious man. The man changes Goodman Brown's opinion of the town, his ancestors and the other village clerics. During Goodman Brown's trip through the woods, he sees Goody Cloyse talking to the mysterious man and recognizes him as the Devil. Later in the journey, he sees Goody Cloyse, Deacon Gokin, and "Faith...trembling before this unholy altar." The character attempts to baptize Faith and Goodman Brown together, but he resists and finds himself alone in the woods. His obsession with sin begins to grow as he realizes that the people he trusts are corrupt. Goodman Brown loses faith in humanity after his trip to the woods. He can't help but think about last night as he walks into Salem the next morning and sees the people he saw in the woods, acting like nothing happened and continuing with their daily lives. He did not expect to discover the sins of the people of his village when he began his journey. Goodman Brown represents an ordinary man because the color brown, which is also his name, symbolizes nature and honesty. His life was peaceful and he only observed the good in people, not their sins. However, now he only sees evil in everyone and cannot see any good in them. He believes that everyone is sinful and born with bad intentions. Goodman Brown becomes paranoid and sees only sin in everyone. He is terrified that the only person he had faith and trust in was his wife, but she also worships the Devil. The idea of ​​Faith being evil leaves Goodman Brown shocked as he assumes she is pure and innocent, but she is a sinner and loses all hope. Goodman Brown can never actually confirm whether his fellow Puritans are devil worshipers, because he would have to reveal his trip to the woods and his temptation by the devil, which would make him seem like a hypocrite. He begins to torment himself because of this and he becomes bitter and dark with his thoughts. With the loss of faith in the human race after this life-altering experience, he slowly begins to lose faith in people and isolates himself. He saw many people in the dark congregation and never expected them to converse or even associate with the Devil. He initially believes that everyone in the town is innocent. However, meeting him changes his entire perspective on them. He cannot forget the evil in the world to the point that he "could not listen, because a hymn to sin rushed loudly to his ear and drowned out all the music.