"Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne Close Reading Worksheet

Help high school students go beyond general reading comprehension and develop close reading analysis skills with this rigorous worksheet covering Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman Brown.” An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.

This resource may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.

By completing this close reading activity, students will:

• Identify what the text states both explicitly and implicitly
• Determine the narrative’s dominant conflict
• Articulate how the narrative is consistent with the conventions of Dark Romanticism (Gothic literature)
• Discern the intended effect of the author’s language
• Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
• Apply knowledge of literary devices including anaphora, ambiguity, personification, foreshadowing, simile, and onomatopoeia
• Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
• Write about fiction with clarity, accuracy, and precision