Young Goodman Brown Character
YG
Young Goodman Brown
Protagonist
Also known as: Goodman Brown
Innocent
Faithful
Naive
Idealistic
A young Puritan man from Salem Village, newly married, who ventures into the forest and encounters the devil. His experience shatters his faith in God, humanity, and his wife. He spends the remainder of his life consumed by doubt and despair. He symbolizes the fall from innocence to skepticism.
F
Faith
Supporting
Innocent
Trusting
Spiritually pure
Gentle
Goodman Brown's newlywed wife, whose name carries a dual meaning representing both the woman herself and spiritual belief. She is portrayed as innocent and pure, wearing white with pink ribbons. Her loss in the forest symbolizes Brown's loss of religious faith. She represents womanhood, spiritual trust, and moral purity.
TD
The Devil
Antagonist
Also known as: The mysterious old man
Manipulative
Deceptive
Cunning
Seductive
A mysterious old man who meets Brown in the forest, carrying a serpent-shaped staff. He lures members of Puritan society into dark rituals and ceremonies. He serves as the primary force of corruption and temptation in the story. He symbolizes the darker side of human nature and the pervasive power of evil.
GC
Goody Cloyse
Minor
Hypocritical
Outwardly pious
Secretly corrupt
Deceptive
Brown's childhood catechism teacher who appeared devout and righteous on the surface. She is revealed to secretly participate in the devil's ceremony in the forest. Her character symbolizes religious hypocrisy within the Puritan community.
TM
The Minister
Minor
Duplicitous
Outwardly respected
Secretly corrupt
Hypocritical
The head clergyman of Salem Village and its most respected religious figure. Brown had believed him to be truly righteous and morally upright. His presence at the devil's gathering exposes his duplicity and moral corruption. He represents the hypocrisy hidden beneath religious authority.
DG
Deacon Gookin
Minor
Hypocritical
Outwardly devout
Secretly corrupt
Duplicitous
A senior church official of Salem Village who is seen traveling with the minister to the devil's ceremony. His participation in the dark ritual highlights the widespread hypocrisy among high-ranking religious leaders. He reinforces the story's theme that piety and corruption can coexist.
MC
Martha Carrier
Minor
Also known as: Queen of Hell
Wicked
Historically grounded
Symbolically charged
Manipulative
A real historical figure from the Salem Witch Trials who was executed on charges of witchcraft. In the story she is portrayed as a wicked old woman who received the devil's promise to be crowned Queen of Hell. She works alongside Goody Cloyse to drag the veiled Faith toward the devil's altar. She represents a blend of history and fiction, symbolizing Puritan hypocrisy and superstition.
TV
The Villagers
Symbolic
Also known as: The common people of Salem
Outwardly pious
Inwardly corrupt
Hypocritical
Collectively complicit
The common people of Salem Village who join the devil's assembly in the forest. Their participation reveals that the corruption and hypocrisy in Puritan society extended beyond its leaders to ordinary members of the community. They symbolize the gap between the outward appearance of piety and the inner reality of moral corruption.