Symbolism Of Symbolism In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

Bryce Rasbeary Mrs. Mary smith AP Literature 22 September 2017 “How to read literature like a professor” Analysis The author of the novel “How to read literature like a professor”, Thomas foster, talks extensively about the use of symbols in literature. He writes about the ranged use of symbols in most if not all of his chapters. In these chapters he speaks about how the symbols used in literature can be almost anything within the story. They can range from a character going into and emerging from water “reborn” or the use of sex scenes to illustrate points of freedom or a loss of innocence.

When an author uses symbolism, a dove can symbolize peace, and a black bird can be the picture of death. Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities in a story through motions, words and objects. It evokes a spark in the reader to give them an opportunity to get an insight of the writer’s mind and how they view the world. Symbolism works together with other writing tools to create a deeper meaning in a story like Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin. Baldwin created a big picture with little symbols that he worked in throughout his story.

Once Young Goodman Brown is in the woods, he comes across his innocent Faith’s symbolic ribbon of innocence, it “fluttered down, through the air and caught on a branch of a tree. A young man seized it, and beheld a pink ribbon. ‘My Faith is gone! There is no good on Earth!’” is Goodman’s last call out to his dear Faith as he realizes that there truly cannot be a person that is so pure on this cruel earth, As for Connie, she yells out at Arnold “Shut up!

The main character’s name, Goodman Brown, represents how good he is and how faithful he is. His wife, Faith, fully represents Goodman Brown’s faith and purity. At first, his wife, Faith, was at home which symbolizes his faith was still intact and safe: "Then God bless you!" said Faith, with the pink ribbons, "and may you find all well, when you come back." However, Goodman Brown would not be coming home well as he ventures into the woods and finds Faith’s pink ribbon, which symbolizes that his faith has been taken from him.

“The Minister’s Black Veil” conveys this mood by showing how the minister is isolated by his black veil as everyone around him is chilled by the mere presence of it. The color black itself represents the darkness of the situation. “Young Goodman Brown” also depicts this mood through its setting. Hawthorne evokes a sinister vibe as he describes the goodman traveling through the forest at night accompanied by the devil. This mood grows as he discovers the evil congregation surrounded by shadows and flames.

With people basing what they believe as their own individuality on the expectations and opinions, there is no individuality. This is how deceptive society can be to an individual, causing someone to believe that they are different when in reality, they are altering their differences to fit the expectations of others. Similarly in Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the main character bases his faith on the faith and expectations of others. By basing his faith on others expectations he was conforming to societal expectation. In this instance the character’s faith symbolizes

Set as a common aspect within each story, the complex passages of sin and life later yield the protagonists’ sudden realization of the imminent nature of life and suppression of their initial pride. When Goodman Brown embarks on a journey through the woods, he initially encounters an old man, who closely resembles Brown himself. Goodman Brown, alongside the second traveller, sets off on a “dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest” (Hawthorne 1), represented as the principal setting and symbol of sin’s path. The atmosphere is instantly set as the path is illustrated “as lonely as could be” (1) with a “peculiarity in such a solitude, that the traveller knows not who may be concealed by the innumerable trunks and the

“Young Goodman Brown.” : An Annotated Bibliography “Young Goodman Brown” is a story about a man who challenges his faith in himself and in the community in which he resides. Gregory, Leslie. " The Text of Nathaniel Hawthorne 's "Young Goodman Brown". " American Literature Research and Analysis.

Faith, Young Goodman Brown’s wife name is a symbol of her personality. “Faith, as the wife was aptly named,” (Brown 619) is emblematic to her nature. A symbol that is used more than once would be the pink ribbon. “…thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons of her cap,” (Brown 620). Faith has a connection to the pink ribbon because the ribbon is a symbol of purity and innocence, which she was.

Young Goodman Brown could have made a different decision by choosing not to go into the forest. Instead of making the choice to enter the forest, he could have chosen to follow the good path avoiding the evil path. If he had gone down a different path it would have prevented him from losing his belief, religion, and faith he had in God. By Brown going into the wicked forest, he changed as a person because he did not come out the same. After going into the forest Brown realized the world was evil and couldn’t see the good in anything no longer.

Hawthorne says, “Something fluttered lightly down through the air and caught on the branch of a tree” Faith’s pink ribbons symbolize purity. In the beginning of the story was Faith had her ribbons she was pure but at the end of the story when Young Goodman Brown saw Faith’s pink ribbon come down from the sky it represents how she succumed to evil and Hawthorne lost both his faith and his wife Faith. The third example of how Hawthorne uses symbolism to show the theme good versus evil in the story “Young Goodman Brown” is when the devil is telling Brown and Faith that they will have a new perspective of life, a life where everyone sins. In the beginning of the story Young Goodman Brown saw his family as godly and he saw Faith as pure but the devil shows him that his views are naive and the devil gives him the capability to see the dark side of everything and everyone.

Coincidentally enough, not only does Goodman Brown struggle to hold on to his wife but his Christian faith as well while traveling the streets of a Salem village. The author mentions Faith’s pink ribbon in her cap throughout the story instilling her character with joy. Pink ribbons symbolize

Secondly, Faith’s pink bow is symbolic because the color pink is generally associated with innocence or purity. At the beginning of the story, Hawthorne mentions Faith’s ribbon multiple time expressing the fact that Faith is youthful and happy. Later, he reintroduces Faith’s ribbons when Young Goodman Brown is in the forest struggling with his doubts about the

Hawthorne writing price also includes symbolism, and point of view, which switch from third person limited to objective. One example of symbolism includes Faith's pink ribbons.the pink ribbons represent Faith’s innocence, and once Goodman Brown sees them falling from the sky onto the dark woods, he realizes that her innocence are no longer and she has sinned. The theme of the story can be label as Guilt vs. Innocence. As stated in the text "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 peeping after him, with a melancholy air, in spite of her pink ribbons. " this represents the lost of

Goodman portrays an image of exactly what it says, a good man. Lastly, Brown is a very common name. A reader often connects easier with a name that they are familiar with as it can create a sense of relatability. Brown 's wife, Faith is given her name for an easily recognizable reason which is to symbolize Brown 's religious faith in God. Faith wears a cap with pretty pink ribbons placed onto it.