In Nathaniel Hawthorne's tale, "Young Goodman Brown", we see and feel the loneliness/isolation of the protagonist, Goodman. Isn't this solitude a reflection of the author's own life? Early in the story, we see intentional secrecy, if not outright deception, on Goodman Brown's part when his wife of three months begs him to stay home that night: "Dearest heart," he whispered. she softly and rather sadly, when her lips were near his ear, "please postpone your journey until sunrise and sleep in your own bed tonight." A lonely woman is troubled by such dreams. and such thoughts, that she is afraid of herself, sometimes. Pray, stay with me this night, dear husband, of all the nights of the year! “ “My love and my faith,” replied young Goodman Brown, “of all the nights of the year. This year I have to get away from you for one night. My journey, as you call it, there and back, must necessarily be made between now and sunrise. What, my sweet and pretty wife, do you already doubt me, and we have only been married for three months! » Goodman's secrecy/deception is an indicator from the beginning of the story and the beginning of his married life that he is a loner, an isolationist – someone who is not a naturally gregarious individual. For most of the story, Goodman is alone with the devil – true solitude. And at the climax of the story, Brown finds himself completely alone in the middle of the forest: He did not know if Faith had obeyed. Scarcely had he spoken when he found himself in the middle of a quiet and lonely night, listening to the roar of the wind as it died down heavily through the forest. He staggered against the rock and felt it cold and damp, while... middle of paper... Jo Kinnick. “Stories Derived from Life in New England.” In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Complete Short Stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Doubleday and Co., Inc., 1959. 247-56. James, Henry. Hawthorn. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1997. Kaul, A. N. “Introduction.” In Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by AN Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966. Martin, Terence. Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Twayne Publishers Inc., 1965. “Nathaniel Hawthorne.” The Norton Anthology: American Literature, edited by Baym et al. New York: WW Norton and Co., 1995. Wagenknecht, Edward. Nathaniel Hawthorne – The Man, His Tales and Romances. New York: Continuum Publishing Co..., 1989.