Young Goodman Brown

“Young Goodman Brown”: Faith is a Perception of People towards God, which has a Propensity to Change for Good or Worst.

“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty (Gandhi).” “Young Goodman Brown” is a short story based on humanity, written by Nathanial Hawthorne. Nathanial Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and he uses his place of birth as the setting of “Young Goodman Brown”, (Hawthorne, 210) and also for his other novel The Scarlet Letter (Hawthorne). Hawthorne’s writings are mostly acknowledged for his use of allegory and symbolism. Usually, Hawthorne’s writings revolve around the lifestyle of the Puritan Society, because that is the lifestyle he knew of as growing up in a Puritan Society. Hawthorne’s grandfather served as a judge during the Salem Witch Trial in 1692 (Wikipedia), which hanged twenty one women accused of being witches. Hawthorne relates to his family’s actions through “Young Goodman Brown.” “Young Goodman Brown” is Hawthorne’s perspective of humans including his own grandfather who he feels is evil. Hawthorne uses allegorical elements to prove that humans are not what they appear to be. They all wear a mask of goodness, but from inside they are evil.

First, every word is significant in the opening sentence: “Young Goodman Brown came forth at sunset, into the street of Salem village, but put his head back, after crossing the threshold, to exchange a parting kiss with his young wife (Hawthorne 210.)” Faith not wanting her husband to leave she pleads, “prithee put off

your journey until sunrise, and sleep in your own bed to-night. A lone woman is troubled with such dreams and such thoughts, that she’s afeard of herself, sometimes (Hawthorne 210.)” Unfortunately, Young Goodman Brown asserts that he cannot. It should not escape the reader that she tries to stop her husband, because she has a similar compulsion. This signifies that the wife was also hiding something from her husband, just, like Young Goodman Brown could not discuss his destination.

Secondly, the setting of “Young Goodman Brown” is Salem Village. To the Puritans, the village was the land of security, purity, faith, and innocence. Young Goodman Brown leaving the land of faith to the forest at which the Puritans look at as being spiritually dangerous, and as a symbol of darkness and evil. To the Puritans, the forest is for the sinners, and the village is for the Godly people. Puritan or not, humans perceive the forest as a place of wilderness which tests one’s endurance and courage. Nathanial Hawthorne uses the forest to allow the readers to foreshadow that something dreadful is going to take place.

Nathanial Hawthorne names his characters Young Goodman Brown, and Faith. The author uses them as a religious allegory to stand as an obstacle against the evil in the story. Goodman means a good man. Young Goodman Brown is the protagonist, presented as a religious man who attends church regularly. Similarly, Faith, a typical Puritan name which stands for faith in god. Any women named Faith would be considered religious. Faith represents the good in the world. On the other hand, after Young Goodman Brown returns from his journey, he looses faith. He just not looses his faith in God, but literally he looses his wife Faith. He cannot stand the sermons that the

minister gives and comes to believe that everyone wears a mask of goodness, which is a faзade to hide their true identity. Depending on how one conceives the end of the story,

Faith is not what she seems to be. She is one of the people who are involved in wicked activity taking place in the forest.

Speaking along the same lines, Faith wears a hat with pink ribbons. The color pink typically represents an appealing female figure. In the story, the pink ribbons describe Faith’s personality. The pink ribbons on Faith’s hat are a symbol of sins and purities. Faith’s ribbon is found in the evil forest and also when Faith is seen as an unclear