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Imagery And Symbolism In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

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Young Goodman Brown is a short story dealing with a man who comes face to face with the devil, even though it might seem that this is all the story is about, if you look deeper this story is filled with symbolic images. Goodman Brown is married to a young wife ironically named “Faith.” They have only been married three months. This shows that brown lacks a deep attachment to his “Faith.” This is followed by him wanting to embark on a trip away from his wife, “Of all nights in the year, this one night must I tarry away from thee.” (Page 79) Although Goodman knows nothing good waits for him in the woods, he sees this trip in the woods as a onetime affair to dabble in the darkness.” After the one night I’ll cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven.” (Page 79) …show more content…

The woods. The woods is a dark place. “He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees in the forest.” (Page 80) This setting foreshadows all the darkness that is about to take place. Despise the early feeling the woods give off, Brown goes further into the forest with Satan guiding him along the way. This symbolizes the devil has grabbed onto him and his sins have taken him to this point. Faith is also a large theme and symbol, Faith is pure innocence. Which is something Goodman Brown has lost. Faith also has her own symbol, pink ribbon. Throughout the short story Hawthorne makes many references to her pink ribbons. He refers to her as “Faith with the pink ribbons” (Page 79) Faith’s pink ribbon leads to a dramatic scene at the end. Satan has grasped onto Goodman Brown, and Brown makes one last attempt to hold on to his Faith, but then a pink ribbon falls from the sky and catches on the tree. This symbolizes the end of the fight between Goodman and his Faith, he is now broken and faithless. “There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come devil, for to thee is the word given.”(Page

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