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Young Goodman Brown’s father functions as a symbol of the cross-generational struggle to resist the temptation of evil. Although he only appears in the story as a ghost at the devil’s midnight meeting, the information that both Young Goodman Brown and the reader learn about him offers a clearer image of who he truly was in life. The old man in the forest reveals early on that he brought Young Goodman Brown’s father the fire that he ultimately used to burn down an Indian village during King Philip’s War. This detail emphasizes that Young Goodman Brown’s father not only had knowledge of the devil, but he had a relationship with him and acted in service of their bond. Young Goodman Brown initially struggles to believe in his father’s capacity for evil, arguing that his family has a reputation for being good and honest. If the old man’s story is not enough to convince Young Goodman Brown of his father’s past, however, his ghostly appearance at the meeting in the woods solidifies his true identity. He beckons his son forward, a gesture which reflects both his acceptance and endorsement of evil’s pull. Even in death, Young Goodman Brown’s father does not find redemption and instead attempts to doom subsequent generations of his family to a dark path. This interaction between father and son, however brief, reinforces the idea that the spiritual conflict between good and evil is not limited to a single time or place. Emphasizing this point allows Hawthorne to reflect on the truly universal nature of this struggle and remind the reader that even those who seem the most trustworthy can fall into darkness.
