Biblical Delusions In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

In his book “How to Read Literature Like a Professor,” Thomas C. Foster elucidates that many authors use well known literature to base their own works off of. The Bible counts as one of these well used works. Authors may borrow Biblical symbols and stories to use in their own work to deepen its meaning or provide something to help the readers to draw parallels and comprehend the story better. Or perhaps, as Foster words it, “maybe a writer doesn’t want enriching motifs, characters, themes, or plots, but just needs a title. The Bible is full of possible titles.” Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, titled “Young Goodman Brown,” exhibits a few easy to spot Biblical references. Goodman Brown leaves his home to walk down a path with a figure who