What does Goodman Brown imply when he says, "Faith kept me back a while," in response to the Devil's remark about his tardiness?

Was Goodman Brown's encounter with evil authentic or merely a figment of his imagination? Explore other literary works where the boundary between reality and imagination is ambiguous, such as "The Swimmer" by John Cheever and "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe. Why might authors employ this technique?

Research the principles of Puritan culture. How does modern American culture differ from it? In what ways are they similar?

What were the impacts of the Salem Witch Trials on the nation as a whole? Provide specific historical examples.