The conflict is the problem in a piece of fictional literature. The story of the background and development of the conflict and the struggle to find its resolution is the reason for the writing of the novel.

A conflict may be between two or more characters, between different aspects of one character's own personality, or between a character and an external condition or situation. In Moby Dick, for example, one major conflict is the search for revenge waged by Captain Ahab against the great white whale. In The Call of the Wild, one of the areas of conflict is the battle for survival of men and animals against the harsh climate of the Arctic. In many works of science fiction, the conflict arises between humans and computers, robots, or other forms of artificial intelligence.

Many traditional explanations of conflict include things like Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature, but these don't seem appropriate for "Young Goodman Brown."   The conflict in this story is between man (Brown) and his unreasonable demands on other people to be what he wants/needs them to be.

You always have to remember that we have no solid evidence that ANYTHING happened in this story; the end seems to suggest that it was all a dream, our "common sense" seems to suggest that it's a dream, but it doesn't make any difference.  Brown comes back to town unable to accept what he perceives to be the "evil" in the people he once admired---but there is no evidence that any of them are evil, just not perfect.

So the best conflict may be Man vs. Illusions.

The Enemy of the Good is the Perfect.

(I guess I should use "Person" in all of these :) )

What are the issues presented in "Young Goodman Brown"?

Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Young Goodman Brown" is ultimately about temptation, the struggle between good and evil, and the loss of faith.

The story centers on young Goodman Brown as he wrestles with trying to rectify what he perceives as the need for public goodness with his own personal record of wickedness. The plot centers around young Goodman Brown leaving his wife, Faith, one evening to meet the Devil in the woods. After his journey he is unsure if he has in fact met the Devil but the rest of his life is consumed with trying to rectify and understand those around him, growing more and more cynical and distrusting of everyone with whom he comes into contact, particularly his wife Faith.