As he walks with the devil, his neighbors become curious about his actions. The Devil represents the initial guide in allowing Goodman Brown to gain conscious awareness, as he wished to comprehend the dark side to human nature. He is represented as the omnipotent figure, holding power over the Puritan society. Satan has power in this tale, he breaks into 'irrepressible mirth'(Hawthorne 4) during his conversation with Goodman Brown, laughing in the faces of naive Puritans. He does not seem to be present and seems at best indifferent in this story. Hawthorne does not include a physical embodiment of God, or any theory of him at all, besides his reference in the overall Puritan faith of the people. In fact, Satan, interestingly, can be seen as the judgment and paranoia of the individuals of the Puritan society. His character is clearly a physical manifestation of evil, however, the style in which others are attracted to him, creates his strength in character. Furthermore, symbolically it is the contract that his victims walk into, as he offers them the ability to walk with him. Once understanding the various Satanic values associated with the image of the serpent, the staff becomes a symbol for the supernatural power that envelopes the villain. Hawthorne inscribes, 'But the only thing about him, that could be fixed upon as remarkable, was his staff, which bore the likeness of a great black snake, so curiously wrought, that it might almost be seen to twist and wriggle itself, like a living serpent'. Tropolougously, his character carries a staff which bears great resemblance to a snake. An embodiment of the darker side of Brown's personality, the devil acts through an evil demeanor to attract foolish Puritans. The Devil, along with the fiendish traits of his serpent staff, represent Jung's shadow theory. As Carl Jung claims, dealing with the challenges of the outside world and one's own imagination, causes the individual to gradually become more consciously aware of the comingling of both societal propriety and the shadow aspect of human nature. Characters, such as Young Goodman Brown, are frequently challenged by their constant need to establish a connection between their imagination and the external world.

A major theme often portrayed in Hawthorne's writings concerns conscious awareness of the reality which the mind imposes on external objects, images, or people.

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