A Turning Point

There seemed to be a moment in "Young Goodman Brown" when the mood of the story completely changed and the reader knew something sinister was afoot. One element Hawthorne utilizes is foreshadowing by masterfully manipulating the mood in order to create suspense and interest the reader. This specific moment, I believe, occurs near the beginning in the passage, "He had taken a dreary road... ...an unseen multitude."(HA 2259) Though this is certainly not the only instance of foreshadowing in this short story, it is one of the first and perhaps most important to the rest of the tale.
Hawthorne employs descriptive adjectives to create an ominous mood while setting up the forest scene with Brown. Phrases like, "dreary road", "darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest", and "lonely footsteps" lend and eerie feel to the scene, suggesting to the reader that everything is not well. Also he makes use of personification to bring about that dismal feeling. The narrow path creeps through the forest, and the trees move as they "close immediately behind". The setting alone is even a rather creepy thought: Alone in a forest at night. Hawthorne's intentional combination of chilling adjectives, devilish personification, and eerie setting create an undoubtedly ominous mood which sets the tone for what troubling things Goodman Brown will encounter throughout his journey.
This foreshadowing is essential to the story for multiple reasons. Hawthorne obviously uses it to draw the reader in and make him/her curious for the resolution, but also this instance of foreshadowing is key in setting up the continuation of the plot. Hawthorne never (until the end) explicitly states who the mysterious man traveling with Brown is or exactly for what "evil purpose" Goodman Brown is making this journey. Though Hawthorne later reveals to the reader bits of information confirming the reader's suspicions of evil doings, this first instance of foreshadowing is critical to conjuring those suspicions. The mood he creates defines the rest of the story and it is what makes this story so appealing to the reader's curiosity.