He's very specific about when his story is set. "Young Goodman Brown" takes place at the end of the 17th century, around the time of the Salem Witch Trials. How do we know this? Because some of Hawthorne's minor characters—like Deacon Gookin, Goody Cloyse, Martha Carrier—were real citizens of Salem.
What is the theme of the Young Goodman Brown?
The main message of the story Young Goodman Brown, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is the fight between good and evil under the scope of detouring from one's faith and succumbing to the evils of life.
How is the story Young Goodman Brown an allegory?
“Young Goodman Brown” functions as an allegory of the fall of man, from which Hawthorne draws to illustrate what he sees as the inherent fallibility and hypocrisy in American religion. Hawthorne sets up a story of a man who is tempted by the devil and succumbs because of his curiosity and the weakness of his faith.