【Abstract】Nathaniel Hawthorne’s“Young Goodman Brown” is a typical example of psychoanalytical novel. Based on theory of psychological analysis by Sigmund Freud， the protagonist Brown’s journey in the forest is a journey of heart in nature since the process is characterized by a series of psychological changes from curiosity to confusion and final disillusionment. Brown’s tragedy is due to his failure to see evil in himself and to hold on to his faith.
　　【Key words】Psychoanalysis； Hawthorne； Goodman Brown； psychological maturation
　　Nathaniel Hawthorne， a 19th century American writer of novels and short stories， is considered an important representative of Puritanism； symbolism and romanticism in American literature. He established his reputation as a writer with an inquiring imagination， a meditative mind and a strong interest in the ambiguity of man’s being. He made every effort to expose the lonely and dark side of human nature and the necessity for man to look into his own soul. Throughout his life， he wrote many works， aiming at espousing the complexities and sense of guilt of human beings. Reading his works one cannot fail to be shocked by the black vision revealed in his works. Take his short story “Young Goodman Brown” as an illustration， Hawthorne aims at exploring uncertainties of belief that haunt Goodman Brown’s heart and soul. With the help of psychological analysis Hawthorne exposes the dark side of human beings and society and his sincere love of the world.
　　The story “Young Goodman Brown” can be seen in one sense as emblematic of the inner urge of the young to grow up and to get integrated into the adult world as reflected by young man’s leaving his wife despite her repeated earnest pleadings not to leave her alone. He must go since it is decided by his human nature： it is a phase to go through. He must lose his innocence so as to discover about the evil that exists in life as well as in him， and only in this way can he reach maturity. In this sense， his journey to meeting is also a journey of maturation and a journey of life （Chang Yaoxin， 2001）. Through his journey， Brown becomes an adult in his community and he is fully initiated socially. This initiation results in a frozen emotional state as the young Goodman Brown becomes， overnight， an old and gloomy Goodman Brown， without hope through the end of his days. Brown’s psychological maturation is characterized by three phases： curiosity，， confusion and disillusionment. Hawthorne has created a vivid and detailed psychological analysis in order to expose Brown’s psychological changes， of which the following parts will be devoted to.