Final answer:
Authors depict the increase in evil in characters through struggles with moral dilemmas, environmental influences, and actions that highlight moral decay, often highlighted in significant events or transformations.
Step-by-step explanation:
Authors reveal the increase in evil in characters through various narrative techniques, including descriptions of internal struggles, actions that reflect moral decay, and the influence of the environment on the characters. In the provided text, characters grapple with moral dilemmas and hereditary vices, hinting at an inevitable slide towards evil. In one example, the shepherd is consumed by thoughts of 'wicked deeds' driven by poverty, suggesting a contagious nature of evil that extends beyond individual actions to affect one's outlook on life. Similarly, Goodman Brown's journey through the corrupted forest symbolizes the internal journey towards recognizing the omnipresence of evil. This transformation is often accentuated during dramatic events or confrontations where characters display behaviors that starkly contrast their earlier innocence or moral standings, effectively marking their descent into evil.