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Nathaniel Hawthorne is an author who discusses a variety of topics in his literary works. As versatile as these topics may seem his works of literature have a common variable, a character in which an experience makes that character sadder but wiser, or just sadder. A good example of this transition is in a literary work by the name of “Young Goodman Brown”. In the Story a character named Young Goodman Brown is faced with what most consider to be life’s inevitable journey; a journey which consists of two paths, one which is corrupted by evil but is rewarded with knowledge or the other path which is based solely on faith. The story tells of Goodman Brown’s experiences, both mental and physical while on his journey, later showing how Goodman Brown’s view of life and the people around him have left him very gloomy. In the beginning of the story, Goodman Brown is feeling that he is impure compared to his wife and the rest of his community. “Say thy prayers, dear Faith, and go to bed at dusk, and no harm will come to thee.” (Hawthorne 24), is evidence of the way Goodman feels about his wife Faith. He turns around and says this about himself, “What a wretch am I to leave her on such an errand! [ . . . ] [it] would