Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Young Goodman Brown" is about a young man's disillusionment in faith. In her essay, "The Devil's Tricks on Young Goodman Brown" Nora Davis claims that Brown's disillusionment in faith is caused by his pride. Brown does not trust his faith; he starts doubting it because of what he sees when he is with the devil. On the other hand in the essay, "The Path towards Evil" John Goodham states that "Young Goodman Brown's" main theme is Brown's disillusionment in faith by recognizing evil in himself and others. I tend to agree with John Goodham's view because the short story contains a great deal of criticism towards strict religious values and Puritanism.
             The argument in "Devil‘s Tricks in Young Goodman Brown" focuses in the fact that by trusting the evidence of his own senses Brown submits to devil‘s trickery and loses his faith. Nora Davis states that when left alone Brown has only himself to depend on. Davis pays special attention to Hawthorne‘s language which makes it doubtful whether what happened is true or not in other words is the Devil only manipulating Brown. Davis points as evidence the fact that when Brown starts to hear the voices of the people in the Devil‘s communion a black cloud falls on him. This is when he hears Faith‘s voice and loses his belief. As an example of how the language reveals uncertainty of whether what Brown senses around him is true or not Davis quotes Brown hearing Faith‘s voice and crying out for Faith, "The echoes of the forest mocked him crying, ‘Faith! Faith! ‘ As if bewildered wretches were seeking her all through the wilderness" (Hawthorne, Young Goodman Brown, 581). Nora Davis further claims that after the dream-like devil‘s communion scene the sky is clear and Brown might have believed that he was dreaming. At this point a ribbon shows up that loo...