Allegory And Symbolism In Young Goodman Brown

“Young Goodman Brown” is a story about a man who challenges his faith in himself and in the community in which he resides.

In “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne the old man is a symbol for the Devil. The old man appears as soon as Goodman Brown mentions the Devil, carries a staff that resembles a serpent, and the way the old woman reacts to the old man. By creating a physical embodiment of satan in the work, the author demonstrates how even the spiritually strongest can fall into temptation and sin.

The character that takes on a greater symbolic meaning in the story is Faith. The name “Faith could have a double meaning. One meaning of the name is the actual name in itself, but the other meaning could mean the faith that Goodman Brown had in himself.

In the short story “Young Goodman Brown”, author Nathaniel Hawthorne, probes the psychology of Puritan Salem's witchcraft frenzy to offer insights into the moral complexity of human nature, good vs. evil. The main character in this story is Goodman Brown, a good upstanding Puritan man who lived in Salem Village during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. After emerging from the woods one dark night, he comes out a broken, sad, stern, darkly meditative, distrustful, if not desperate man. He is changed forever. But he had every right to feel that way. Who wouldn’t, after seeing and hearing what he saw that night. Everyone he loved and knew

“Everything in this world has a hidden meaning” revealed famous Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis. For example, the American flag is not only a piece of cloth, but it is also a symbol of freedom and national pride. An owl is not only an animal, but also a symbol of wisdom. American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne uses a butterfly as a symbol of happiness since, “when pursued, [it] is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you sit down quietly, may alight upon you” (Hawthorne). Authors around the world have used symbols in their works to reveal a deeper hidden meaning. One of Hawthorne’s most famous short stories “Young Goodman Brown” uses symbols such as pink ribbons, a dark forest, and a serpentine staff to contribute to his overall meaning that life is full of temptations that ultimately lead men into sin and away from God.

Archetypes such as the journey and mentor are used in many stories to set a storyline. These archetypes have a moral lessons that are learned through , and both are present in “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Artificial Nigger”.

Brown had possibly chosen to speak with the devil for something in return, but he starts to have second thoughts upon entering the forest. He never told Faith of his journey, only telling her that he must go despite her warnings and pleas. It's seen clearly here: “So they parted; and the young man pursued his way, until, being about to turn the corner by the meeting-house, he looked back and saw the head of Faith still peeping after him, with a melancholy air, in spite of her pink ribbons.” (1) Brown had just told his wife, Faith, that he was leaving for a journey in the night and would be back the next day. He never told her what his business

The whole forest was peopled with frightful sounds the creaking of the trees, the howling of wild beasts, and the yell of Indians; while sometimes the wind tolled like a distant church-bell, and sometimes gave a broad roar around the traveler, as if all Nature were laughing him to scorn. But he was himself the chief horror of the scene and shrank not from its other horrors (59).

When analyzing a short story, poem, novel, or any piece of literature, a few key components work together to create the plot of the work. For me specifically, the overall theme of the story usually tops the list. In Young Goodman Brown, author Hawthorne uses many symbols to convey the themes of the story: the weakness of public morality and loss of innocence.

In all types of writing authors and poets use several literary devices in order to deliver a message or create a theme in their writing. The use of these literary devices along with tropes helps the readers to understand the central idea of the passage, poem, or narrative. In the story of Goodman Brown, he is faced with a series of events that influences the reader to dig deeper and find the allegory in the story. Nathanial Hawthorne uses diction and symbolism in order to create the allegory that evil is everywhere and will lie in even the deepest parts of a religion that follows God.

After seeing that Goodman Brown lost his faith, he does not attend church anymore. “Goodman Brown indeed wants not only to be a good man but also to become as well a new man or, if already hopefully converted, at least renew his personal experience of a divine and supernatural light.” The shadows of his mother told him to resist evil, but Brown could not. According to Wilson, “As a result of his family history, Hawthorne filled much of his work including “Young Goodman Brown,” with themes exploring the evil actions of humans and the idea of original sin” (295). Therefore, Brown returned home and confronted his wife and shouted until he got an answer. Readers that read this short story can say Brown had a choice to enter the forest or even maybe

“Young Goodman Brown” is a tale about a man experiencing evil and having his life changed forever due to the experience. While it is said that this story may simply be a dream, the progression of the events that occur leave the main character changed for life. Using a psychoanalytical approach, it can be proved that that the main character, Goodman Brown, is not who he seems to be and is riddled with dysfunctional behavior. Scholarly Journal Articles by authors Joan Elizabeth Easterly and Patrick W. Shaw can be used to provide evidence that the main character of this story displays behaviors that are not considered to be in good taste by today’s standards. Overall, Goodman Brown is a vessel of dysfunctional behavior and this is portrayed through the use of symbolism, antics, and actions that occur throughout the story.

the life of a young husband, Mr. Goodman Brown, and the tragic event that made his life forever

In the very classic short story “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, took place in the 17th century but was written in the mid-1800’s. The story begins when Brown, the main character, leaves his newly wed wife, Faith to go on a trip into the forest. Faith begs for him to stay but he is determined to go that night. When he reaches the forest he meets a man, who kind of resembles Brown. They both head together deeper into the forest where they run into a woman, Goody Cloyse, who Brown has met before when he was younger in the woods. The two continue to go into the forest when Brown hears his wife’s voice, he calls out to her but there is no answer. He runs deeper into the forest, upset that his wife is lost in the dark dangerous forest. He ends up meeting the devil which was the old man he was traveling with this whole time. The devil is talking about all the people he was able to influence them. After a long night in the forest, Brown arrives home unsure if what he did and saw was real or just a dream. He was very scared and his belief in that he was a true Christian was gone. He now thinks that everyone he sees is evil and he doesn 't trust anyone. He lives the rest of his life in fear. Hawthorne is trying to explain the importance of human nature and how to understand it. In the story he tries to show that everyone has a little evil in them and that 's what Brown realizes when he meets the Devil. Hawthorne is trying to say that it 's okay to have a little evil in

The story “Young Goodman Brown”,involves a young religious man who goes on a journey that is mysterious. He often has second thoughts as he is traveling. He encounters evil and questions his surroundings after and is conflicted. The story takes place during the Salem Witch Trials. Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of the story, was born in Salem. Also, one of his ancestors John Hawthorne, was one of the three judges in the Salem Witch Trials. Therefore, he had inspiration from the history that occured to incorporate into the story. Nathaniel liked to write about the dark side of human nature and gave long descriptions so the readers could envision it. He would leave the readers at the end in suspense so they could put themselves in the story and make an ending themselves. In writing about the dark side of human nature, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism to prove that sin is everywhere and that anybody can commit it.