By the 17th century, the Puritans had divided into separatists and non-separatists, the separatist Puritans established ideal Christian communities to which the story “Young Goodman Brown” is intended. take place. Salem Village was recovering from the Witch Trail scandal, but the rest of the Puritan communities were still involved in witchcraft. Brown is unaware of the extent to which his community is involved in witchcraft. However, Brown is aware of the events in Salem and has acquired a great curiosity to learn more about witchcraft. This curiosity is the basis of Nathaniel Hawthorne's story "Young Goodman Brown" where it presents the corruption in Puritan society, the loss of innocence and the overwhelming fear of nature. The story paints a quantitative and picturesque picture of the Puritans living quiet, simplistic, and pure lives. surrounded by family, community and religion. “The Puritans were supposed to live by a rigid moral code; they believed that all sins—from sleeping in church to stealing food—should be punished” (Life in Salem 1692). However, the Puritans were not always as pure as we are led to believe. . Many of the Puritans' actions, although based in religion, contradicted what their religion taught. During the time of the Puritans, there were several recognized periods of unorthodox methods of reprimand. In 1692, the Salem witchcraft trials tore the community apart. Puritan society, which relied so deeply on community support, had begun to turn against each other to an unprecedented level. The reasons for the Salem witch trials vary based on misconceptions, illogical values, and misinterpreted information. In "Young Goodman Brown", the devil suggests himself as being responsible for various dark periods in the Puritan record: "I helped your g...... middle of paper...... Works Cited Cochran, RW ( 1962, November 1). How Young Goodman Brown Became Old Badman Brown: Answer. Retrieved November 25, 2011, from the National Council of Teachers of English: http://www.jstor.org/stable/373757. Cook, R. (1970, September 1). Goodman Brown's Night Forest: A Reading of Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown." Retrieved November 25, 2011, from The New England Quarterly, Inc: http://www.jstor.org/stable/363309 Hawthorne, N. (2008). Young Goodman Brown. In S. Belasco and L. Johnson, The Bedford Anthology of American Literature (pp. 987-996). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's Life in Salem 1692. (nd). Retrieved November 25, 2011, from Discovery Education: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/salemwitchtrials/resources.htmlMcKeithan, D. (1952). Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown": an interpretation. Modern Language Notes , 67 (2), 93-96.