Young Goodman Brown Community Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)

Quote #1

Young Goodman Brown came forth, at sunset, into the street of Salem village, but put his head back, after crossing the threshold, to exchange a parting kiss with his young wife. And Faith, as the wife was aptly named, thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons of her cap, while she called to Goodman Brown. (1)

In the very first sentence of his story, Hawthorne identifies the "Salem village" community that young Goodman Brown belongs to. Brown's own home is a place of comfort and compassion. And as the story shows, Brown has been taught to see all his fellow villagers—not Faith alone—as kindly individuals.

Quote #2

"Dearest heart," whispered she, softly and rather sadly, when her lips were close to his ear, "pr'y thee, put off your journey until sunrise, and sleep in your own bed tonight." (1-2)

In this case, two is definitely company: Faith and Goodman Brown are a cozy little pair. In fact, things start to get scary when we see the whole community gather together.

Quote #3

"Wickedness or not," said the traveler with the twisted staff, "I have a very general acquaintance here in New-England. The deacons of many a church have drunk the communion wine with me; the selectmen, of divers towns, make me their chairman; and a majority of the Great and General Court are firm supporters of my interest. The governor and I, too—but these are state secrets."

This is some community: deacons, selectmen, the courts, and even the governor are all bound in a nefarious collection of evil. (They probably have a really nifty secret handshake.) Hey, we always knew the leaders were corrupt.