Dark Romanticism, this sub-genre of Romanticism is psychological in nature.

Hawthorne works with a simple plot and relies on numerous literary devices and multiple themes to develop his ideas. The tale contains an abundance of symbolic characters that propel protagonist Goodman Brown on his journey to the dark side of life. The names of the main characters alone, “Goodman” and “Faith,” suggest that morality will be tested.

Goodman Brown is overcome with guilt as he leaves his wife alone at home and sets out into the forest on a journey that might be bad-intentioned. He begins his travels into the woods where he encounters an “elder person” and an “old woman” that represent the Devil and a witch respectively. He discovers that things are not as they seem. The familiar people in his life, including his father, his wife, and clergy members might be hypocrites who dabble in the occult. Goodman’s developing fear and paranoia cause him to question his faith, succumb to guilt, and lose his innocence. The joy he once experienced in life is lost. The remainder of his existence is miserable and he finally dies a sad, lonely man:

Often, waking suddenly at midnight, he shrank from the bosom of Faith; and at morning or eventide, when the family knelt down at prayer, he scowled and muttered to himself, and gazed sternly at his wife, and turned away. And when he had lived long, and was borne to his grave a hoary corpse, followed by Faith, an aged woman, and children and grandchildren, a goodly procession, besides neighbors not a few, they carved no hopeful verse upon his tombstone, for his dying hour was gloom.

The idea behind a good thesis for a literary analysis essay is to focus your ideas into one or two sentences that present the topic of your essay to tell readers what you intend to write about and give them an idea of your position on the topic. For example, “Christopher Columbus” is a topic. “Leif Erickson, not Christopher Columbus, discovered the New World” is a thesis. With regard to Young Goodman Brown, the options for developing a good thesis are numerous. The themes discussed above, the symbolic references (allegorical characters or names) Hawthorne uses and how their meanings advance the plot, or the hypocrisy of those who pretend to be pious are just a few ideas ripe for an essay.

An analytical essay should make it clear to the reader that the writer takes a position on some issue. The writer must develop an argument and then provide proof supporting that argument. For example, if one were to conclude that Young Goodman Brown changes during the story, the essay writer would need to select passages from the tale demonstrating the manner in which he changes. One could trace his personality from the beginning of the story, when he was content, until the end of the allegory, when he dies sad and miserable. The challenge is in finding the appropriate passages in the short story.

A simple outline to aid the writer in analyzing Young Goodman Brown might begin by writing down the topic of the essay, the thesis the writer intends to demonstrate, and three to five examples that will be expanded upon in the essay. In that way, everything in the essay will connect to the main idea the essayist intends to prove.

If the essay is to be on all the characters of Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown," perhaps you may wish to establish and then examine the relationship of the protagonist, Goodman Brown, with the other characters. For, it is his self-perception along with his perception of others in his community which direct his fateful delusions.

Hawthorne's narrative, much like others, develops around the Puritanical hypocrisy of his ancestors.  In fact, it is Goodman's illusions about good and evil and delusions about other characters that lead to his self-delusion and loss of faith in Puritanism. 

Goodman's first illusion is that he is of such good stock and character that he will not be influenced by his going into the forest primeval; he assures his wife Faith that all will be well when he returns.  And, with this "excellent resolve for the future," Brown feels justified in his "evil purpose."  However, when he sees Goody Cloyse and Deacon Gookin, spiritual leaders of his Puritan community, hurrying to the black mass, his faith is shaken and the "black cloud of doubt" enshrouds him.  Then, when Faith appears at the black mass, Brown's trust in her is destroyed; consequently, he loses his faith, calling upon the devil and becoming

the chief horror of the scene [who] shrank not from other horrors.

Disillusioned with his Calvinistic Puritanism that will admit no sin, Young Goodman Brown has learned the full and horrible significance of the Calvinistic belief in the depravity of man. In addition, he has been deluded in thinking that Goody Cloyse and Deacon Gookin are holy and his wife is pure; Faith is not, although she retains her faith in mankind as witnessed by her devotion to prayer and to her husband. Thus, this development of the character of Young Goodman Brown places the other characters into different perspectives and underscores Hawthorne's theme expressed in his own words.  For, he states that every human being is alone "in that saddest of all prisons, his own heart." Young Goodman Brown's self-delusions place him in this prison.

Nathaniel Hawthorne's story of "Young Goodman Brown" introduces us to a pious Christian man who leaves his newly-wed wife to travel in the forest for an undisclosed reason. At the center of the story is Brown's perceptions of the world, compared with the realities—specifically with regard to his religious beliefs.

This story includes themes common in Hawthorne's work:

...exploring the evil actions of humans and the idea of original sin.

As he enters the woods (where Puritans believed the Devil lived), Brown meets an old man who is really the Devil, but Brown doesn't know this. As they walk, Brown senses evil nearby and looks to his ancestors, his religious leaders and his wife, to strengthen his own resolve to resist it. However, in each case, he learns none of them are what they seem and that each has been in "congress" with the Devil. At the end, when the Black Mass starts, Brown sees his wife and tells her to turn away from evil. In a flash, he finds himself alone. Returning to town, not knowing if what happened was real or a dream—or Faith's answer in either case—Brown turns his back on his community for their sins; isolated from everyone, even his wife, he dies a miserable, lonely, unloved old man.

The bottom line is that there is sin in everyone: no one, not even Brown himself, is pure. However, Hawthorne's story is believed by many to be:

...one of the most effective literary works to address the hysteria surrounding the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.

In the Puritanical society in Salem Town, Massachusetts, on the word of several young girls, twenty-five adults were convicted of witchcraft: nineteen people were hanged; one man in his eighties refused to answer the accusations against him, Giles Corey, and was pressed to death. (It is said that when he was told again to confess, he replied, "More weight.") Five others died in prison. It seems that the Puritans' lack of tolerance for any kind of sin (even sleeping in church) allowed only for penalty, not forgiveness. (It is said that it was stopped when the governor's wife was accused.)

It is easy, then, to see Hawthorne's parallel of those events to what is portrayed in the story of "Young Goodman Brown". Brown is symbolic of Puritan society ("the" religion and law then) which could not abide any kind of sin. This inflexibility not only cost people their lives, but was ultimately the death knell of the Puritan faith. Brown also suffers the fate of the Puritan religion. Over time, he became alienated from the society at large for his inability to accept and forgive the sinful nature of humanity. He felt comfortable about his faith and that of his ancestors and fellow townspeople, yet when confronted by the truth, his mind cannot accept the reality of man's sinful nature. A biblical tenant states that all people sin, but Brown represents those who believed that righteous living meant a sinless life: an impossibility.

Had Brown stayed at home, his wife would not have gone out, so what is Brown's responsibility?—to support those around him, not to condemn them.

In terms of a thesis, it depends on your response to the reading. For me, it would be:

Regardless of one’s beliefs, should they be challenged, a person must not lose faith in what is important to him; he should not blame others who do not live up to his expectations—or judge them, but keep to his own truth.

After all, no one is perfect, and that is, unrealistically, what Brown wanted.

This question is asking about literary elements rather than literary devices. Both could be explored for an interesting essay; however, focusing on literary elements allows for the essay to be a bit wider in scope. Literary elements are things that all stories have. They are the building blocks of writing and stories. Plot, character, theme, narrative point of view, and conflict are all literary elements.

A thesis statement is a statement that makes an argument. It can't be a statement of fact, as there is nothing to prove; therefore, my recommendation for a thesis is to have a thesis statement about the themes or characters present within "Young Goodman Brown." I'm not saying that your thesis can't be an examination of plot, but a plot analysis tends to be more factual than argumentative. An examination of a theme forces you to show your readers how, when, and where that theme is illustrated within the text.

There are a lot of solid potential themes to explore in this story. You could explore hypocrisy, loss of innocence, versions of reality, or specific aspects of morality. A thesis dealing with one of these themes might look like the following thesis statement.

Although Goodman Brown deeply wants to believe that he and his faith can stay intact, he is simply shown too much hypocrisy within his community to be left unchanged.