Symbols and Analysis within Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne

It is made clear to the reader through the use of characterization and Goodman Brown’s actions that he is ultimately not religiously grounded enough to be testing his faith. This is made obvious to the reader when Hawthorne writes, “This, of course, must have been an ocular deception, assisted by the uncertain light,” in reference to the man’s serpent-like staff that Goodman Brown notices as the man leads him deeper into the woods (Brown). This quote reveals two things to the reader; the man leading him into the forest is a symbolization of the devil and Goodman Brown is oblivious to that very fact. By using this quote as a means of characterizing him, the reader is able to conclude that he is making a mistake when he continues into the forest on his journey to test his faith. His faith, however is expressed through another character; Goodman Browns

In the story of "Young Goodman Brown" setting plays an important role. It provides symbolism to certain events and provokes emotions amongst the characters, especially those of Goodman Brown. The story of "Young Goodman Brown" is that of a man on an adventure to feed his curiosity and to visit the dark side of his Puritan town. Once he arrives at the destination of his adventure, he realizes that many of his elders have followed in the paths of evil and that holiness and innocence has been vanquished from his once thought to be holy Puritan town. The central idea of "Young Goodman Brown," is the conflict in Goodman Brown between joining the devil and remaining

Young Goodman Brown's wife, Faith, is also an important symbol in this story. Her name alone implies that she is a symbol for goodness and the Christian life that Young Goodman Brown leaves behind when he departs on his journey. In the story, it says that she calls out to him and he turns his back on her, which can either be taken literally or in the sense of one turning his back on God and Christian life, because he heads for the woods, an implication of sin and witchcraft. In her hair, Faith wears pink ribbons, which are a sign of her innocence and playfulness. When Goodman Brown sees her pink ribbons in her hair, he is aware of her innocence, so when he finds a pink ribbon belonging to her clinging to a tree branch in the woods, he doubts the faith of her and of all those around him.

Though Nathaniel Hawthorne is an author of many great works, his short story “Young Goodman Brown” still stays relevant because it has themes and subjects that are relatable in today 's world. In the story “Young Goodman Brown,” Goodman Brown leaves his wife Faith, to go into the woods near Salem to have a meeting with the devil. Appearance vs. reality is shown in “Young Goodman Brown” through the plot, the character of Goody Cloyse, and the symbol of the maple staff.

In Young Goodman Brown the theme is not only centered on religious hypocrisy (falsely claiming to have certain religious morals) but also on the internal conflicts of Young Good Man Brown. A basic rundown of the story is that one fateful evening Young Good Man Brown decides to attend a meeting of the black Sabbath. On the way there he come across various people who are also on there way there .These include the devil, Goody Cloys (his catechism teacher), deacon Gookin and the local minister. At the ceremony as he is initiated into the group he sees his wife who is also a

     Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” captivates the reader through a glimpse of the Puritan church. The story also shows the struggle of good versus evil in the main character Goodman Brown. The role of the Puritan church is crucial in shaping Goodman Brown’s personality and helping the reader understand why he was reluctant to continue his journey.

When referring to the terms "purpose", Goodman Brown is speaking about his good faith that he must attend to. The dark figure that is amongst Goodman Brown tells him of all the evil acts he has done and after Goodman Brown hears od these evil doings he exclaims, "'there is my wife, Faith. It would break her dear little heart: and I'd rather break my own'"(Hawthorne). This is when the symbolism behind Faith’s name comes into play because it symbolizes the strong faith that Goodman Brown wants to keep intact with himself to point where he rather break his own heart

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “Young Goodman Brown,” Hawthorne presents the tale of a young man from Salem, Massachusetts during colonial America. One night, Brown accidentally witnesses a witches meeting in the forest where he sees the rest of the town, including his wife Faith, in attendance. This comes as quite a shock to Brown and the next morning but he cannot remember whether or not the scene was real of simply a dream. Regardless, from then on Brown lives his life in opposition to the rest of the town. Although it may seem that the meaning of the story comes simply from an evaluation of Brown himself, and the actions he takes against the towns people, more needs to be done to fully comprehend the totality of Hawthorne’s

Nathaniel Hawthorne uses different people as symbols throughout "Young Goodman Brown." The largest symbolic roles in the story are goodman Brown and his wife Faith. Both of the characters' names are symbolic and representative of their personalities. "'With Heaven above and Faith below, I will stand firm against the devil!' cried goodman Brown," is

The story is an allegory for the loss of innocence and the projection of Brown's fear. The character Faith is a symbol for Goodman Brown's Christian faith. He talks about her: "With Heaven above, and Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil." In other words, Faith is a substitute for Brown's religious conviction. When Faith is in trouble, Brown's faith is in trouble too.

The symbolism and imagery used by Nathaniel Hawthorne in Young Goodman Brown to develop a theme are very bold and straightforward. Rather than hiding away the symbolism for the reader to discover, he makes it so obvious to the point where it is almost ridiculous. A notable central theme of Young Goodman Brown is that of the hypocrisy of religion, which is arguably why Hawthorne wrote the story in the first place. For example, when Goodman Brown actually starts examining his faith, he finds holes in his own religion. In fact, there are accounts from the time period of the story of Puritans being kidnapped by Native tribes and refusing to return to their old lives.

The story begins as a conventional allegory, creating the expectation that the characters will be able to consistently display the abstractions they symbolize. If Hawthorne intends Brown to be a pathological case, the intention is not clearly set in the early stages. The problem of man’s journey into the mystery of evil is presented in the broadest possible terms. Faith Brown, the wife of three months, is simply “Faith”, and Goodman Brown is everyman. The bargain he has struck with Satan is a universal one, reinforced by such signs of innocence. Brown convinces himself that he can turn away from his covenant and the assurances he offers himself are of good intentions.

“‘Faith! Faith!’ cried the husband. ‘Look up to Heaven, and resist the Wicked one!’” (Hawthorne 270). Had he taken his own advice from the beginning of his story, Young Goodman Brown may have avoided his hopeless, gloomy future. In “Young Goodman Brown,” Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the story of a Puritan man’s journey through the forest to attend an illicit Black Mass. Along the way, Young Goodman Brown meets a mysterious traveler who, piece-by-piece, decimates Brown’s faith until it is entirely obliterated. Hawthorne uses characterization, symbolism, and irony to show that faith based on any person or entity other than God is easily lost and leads to bitterness and anger.

The story of "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, during the time of the Puritans and the Salem Witch Trials. Hawthorne takes us inside the mind of newlywed Goodman Brown by using third person point of view, as he journeys through the deep, dark forest looking to meet with a suspicious someone. Brown falls into the temptation to do evil and to do things a not so "Goodman" would do, which also plays into his thoughts on his Puritan life. Furthermore, his behavior could possibly reveal Hawthorne's thoughts on Christianity and the hypocrisy of some of its followers, and how it can be hard not to give into temptation.

     The word faith throughout the story is a play on words. The first use of the word faith is the name of Goodman Brown?s wife. The second use of the word faith describes Goodman Brown?s belief, trust and