Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Does Young Goodman Brown dream the Black Mass or actually see it? How do you know? Does it make a difference in your interpretation of the story?

We cannot know for sure
whether Goodman Brown actually saw the Witches' Sabbath or if he dreamed it because there are no
absolutely definitive clues that establish the truth one way or the other.  However, it doesn't
actually matter whether it was real or a dream.  We do know that Brown left his home, abandoning
his wife, Faith, symbolic of Christian faith in general.  On his way into the forest, he thought
to himself,

Methought [...] there was trouble in her face,
as if a dream had warned her what work is to be done to-night.  But, no, no!  't would kill her
to think it.  Well; she's a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night, I'll cling to her
skirts and follow her to Heaven.

In other words, then,
Brown makes the...

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