This paper focuses on how Puritanism and the Salem Witch Trials influenced Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman Brown.” Witchcraft and Puritanism have been a great source of inspiration for most of Hawthorne’s works, therefore it is possible to research this particular short story in terms of these two main motifs. It is important to understand the deep complexity of this short story, and to do so, delving into further research of Hawthorne’s Puritan background which left a deep mark on the author’s life, the backgrounds of Puritanism as a philosophy of life as well as witchcraft and the consequences and victims it left behind after such a short period of time during the Trials in Salem is extremely necessary. Considering that Hawthorne used actual events from the Salem Witch Trials as descriptions in his short story, the Trials are explained in detail, from their beginning to their abrupt and quick end. The purpose of this study is to prove and confirm that Puritanism and witchcraft left a strong impact on “Young Goodman Brown.” Both of these motifs are present and quite prominent in the story meaning that they are necessary for the plot. The central claim of the paper itself is that there are indeed many instances of these two motifs being used and that they serve as the two main themes in the story. This research is based on in-depth analysis of the short story with the help of critical works and other relevant texts regarding these particular topics.