Young Goodman Brown
By: Anna • Essay • 680 Words • March 26, 2010 • 890 Views
Young Goodman Brown
young goodman brown
Young Goodman Brown ““Young Goodman Brown”” by Nathaniel
Hawthorne contains much symbolism. The symbols take many forms
from the setting to the characters. The symbols can be viewed as
just part of the story line, but upon
further thought they
represent many different things. Faith, Brown’’s wife, is a
symbol herself. When he says, ““My love and my Faith,”” he is
using his wife as a symbol and is really referring to his love
and faith in God. He goes on to say ““this one night I must tarry
away from thee.”” He means that he must part from his faith in
God to carry on with his journey. He also says to the devil, ““
Faith kept me back awhile”” and is making reference to a higher
being that is trying to keep him from making his journey by
delaying it. When Brown finds the pink ribbon that his wife was
wearing lying in the forest he says, ““my Faith is gone”” and is
referring to himself as losing his faith in God. Also, Goodman
Brown’’s ““errand”” symbolizes the Puritan voyage where they were
to find the plan that God has set for them and let faith be their
guidance. As Goodman Brown continues his ““errand”” and thing
begin to go array he grows weak and falls to the ground. He
"begins to doubt whether there really was a Heaven above him" and
this is a key point when Goodman Brown's faith begins to wain.
Goodman Brown in panic declares that "With Heaven above, and
Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil!" This is
similar to a Puritan putting his faith in God and following
““God’’ Plan.”” The forest that Goodman Brown ventures to in
itself is a symbol. In the Puritan days the townspeople were
barred from going into the forest because that is where evil
lurked and even says ““ my father never went into the woods……nor
his father before him.”” Hawthorne described the forrest as ““ a
dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest””
and even jokes of the evil lurking there when he says ““there may
be a devilish Indian behind every tree”” and ““What if the devil
himself should be at my very elbow!”” Hawthorne even uses the
main character as a symbol. His name, Young Goodman Brown makes
reference to him as being young and a good person. Then Hawthorne
gives him such a common last name that it relates him to any and
everybody,