Question

In at least one hundred words, analyze how Hawthorne develops the theme of the pervasiveness of sin in “Young Goodman Brown.”

Answer 1

I read a book that refers states that one of the character of sin is PERVASIVENESS OF SIN.

"Sin is not in some places, sin is in all places; sin is not in some people, sin is in all people; sin is not a part of some actions, sin is a part of all actions; sin is not a problem some of the time, sin is a problem all of the time. Sin is pervasive."

In the story, The Young Goodman Brown, people whom the character thought of as good and pious were shown as not so good nor pious. The character saw these upstanding citizens in a gathering that reveres the devil. Goodman Brown even saw his wife in the conversion ceremony. After that event, even though Goodman Brown is not sure he only dreamt it or it really happened in real life, he never trusted anyone again to simply be good. All he saw is the evil lurking in each person's soul. 

Answer 2

Hawthorne develops the theme of the pervasiveness of sin in his story “Young Goodman Brown” via revealing that people whom the character Goodman Brown was led to believe that they were good and righteous people were shown as not so good nor righteous.

Even though it was all just a dream, Goodman Brown refused to deny any of the events that had happened, and as so, he never saw the world in a positive light again. This could also be seen as a way that Hawthorne chose to develop the theme of the pervasiveness of sin in his story since the definition of pervasiveness is “the quality of spreading widely or being present throughout an area or a group of people,” and the dream was pervasive in all of Goodman Brown’s thoughts after the night of his dream.