Young Goodman Brown Symbolism Essay
In “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, many forms of symbolism are present to help in develop the theme that all of mankind has a capacity for sinful actions. Three major symbols in the text include the stranger that Brown meets in the forest, Brown’s wife Faith, and his journey into the forest.
Hawthorne uses a symbolic journey to represent Brown’s transition from naive, faithful Puritan to cyncial and bitter adult. At the onset of the journey, Brown meets a stranger in the woods who represents the Devil. The Devil attempts to influence Brown by suggesting dark secrets in Brown’s ancestry. The encounter with the Devil is placed in the woods because the woods symbolize our primal nature, the darkness within all of us. The identify …show more content…
of the Devil is made apparent through the symbolism of his snake-covered walking staff.
To begin, Young Goodman Brown has a plan to go to the middle of the forest to meet with a stranger. Along their journey, the elderly man attempts to corrupt Brown and convince him to give up his soul to the Devil. The Devil in the article represents Brown’s darker side, which believes that evil is the nature of mankind. This stranger, as Brown sees as an old man, has a secret identity. The stranger claims to have known Brown’s family in the past. The Devil, ironically claims to have known the dark secrets of Brown’s family. Claiming that his family was made up of Puritans, the Devil corrupts Brown by saying that they performed deeds of evil. In the short story, it states, “I helped your grandfather, the constable, when he lashed the Quaker woman so smartly through the streets of Salem; and it was I that brought your father a pitch-pine knot, kindled at my own hearth to set fire to an Indian village, in King Philip’s war” (Hawthorne 4). The irony is clearly present, due to the fact that Puritans are not known to perform acts of evil, when in fact the Devil is manipulating Brown’s thoughts for his soul. Evidently, the corruption and maliciousness of the Devil symbolizes the natural evil of mankind. The demoralization of Brown’s overall person leads him to believe that mankind is corrupt, which causes him to lose faith.
Next, Faith, Brown’s wife, is also a major symbol in the story. Faith symbolizes Brown’s faith to his religion and his faith in his marriage. With his doubts about the Devil, Brown cannot decide whether or not to stay with his Faith, in religion and with his wife, or to sell his soul. As he is contemplating his decision, he hallucinates his wife’s voice, thinking that she is also going to purge to the Devil. Not knowing that this is all a dream, Brown symbolically and physically loses all faith to his religion, marriage, and in humanity. In the text, it states, “Turning the corner by the meeting-house, he spied the head of Faith… bursting into such joy at the sight of him that she skipped along the street and almost kissed her husband before the whole village. But Goodman Brown looked sternly and sadly into her face, and passed on without a greeting” (Hawthorne 10). Brown evidently lost all faith, even in his loving wife, which results him to live in a life of despair and loneliness. Faith was the center of Brown’s inner innocence, and without her, all is lost for him. Lastly, Brown’s journey into the forest represents a journey to Hell, a deep despairing pit of his own soul.
The woods, opposite of Brown’s city of Salem, are a dark and nightmarish place in which Brown is unfamiliar with. This area of darkness outside the village is outside the normal boundaries of right and wrong, which are outside of Brown’s comfort zone. Inside the forest is where all of Brown’s fears and suspicions come into play, doubting his initial decision about his life. This journey also represents the journey that all people must make, where they see rights and wrongs of man. At the end of the journey, most either lose their faith like Brown did, or return with a stronger mindset than they started with. In the text, it states, “He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through… It was all as lonely as could be; and there is this peculiarity in such a solitude, that the traveller knows not who may be concealed by the innumerable trunks and the thick boughs overhead; so that with lonely footsteps he may yet be passing through an unseen multitude” (Hawthorne 2). Clearly exemplified, the loneliness Brown feels causes him to feel out of the norm, uncomfortable with what he is about to do. With his doubts in mind, Brown fights the influences of evil and comes out as himself, though his view on the rest of humanity is corrupt
forever.
In conclusion, Nathaniel Hawthorne shows many forms of symbolism in his “Young Goodman Brown,” such as the stranger that Brown meets in the forest who represents the devil, Brown’s wife Faith, and his journey into the forest. These three symbols all collaboratively help in developing the overall theme of the short story.
Hawthorne uses a symbolic journey to represent Brown’s transition from naive, faithful Puritan to cyncial and bitter adult. At the onset of the journey, Brown meets a stranger in the woods who represents the Devil. The Devil attempts to influence Brown by suggesting dark secrets in Brown’s ancestry. The encounter with the Devil is placed in the woods because the woods symbolize our primal nature, the darkness within all of us. The identify …show more content…
of the Devil is made apparent through the symbolism of his snake-covered walking staff.
To begin, Young Goodman Brown has a plan to go to the middle of the forest to meet with a stranger. Along their journey, the elderly man attempts to corrupt Brown and convince him to give up his soul to the Devil. The Devil in the article represents Brown’s darker side, which believes that evil is the nature of mankind. This stranger, as Brown sees as an old man, has a secret identity. The stranger claims to have known Brown’s family in the past. The Devil, ironically claims to have known the dark secrets of Brown’s family. Claiming that his family was made up of Puritans, the Devil corrupts Brown by saying that they performed deeds of evil. In the short story, it states, “I helped your grandfather, the constable, when he lashed the Quaker woman so smartly through the streets of Salem; and it was I that brought your father a pitch-pine knot, kindled at my own hearth to set fire to an Indian village, in King Philip’s war” (Hawthorne 4). The irony is clearly present, due to the fact that Puritans are not known to perform acts of evil, when in fact the Devil is manipulating Brown’s thoughts for his soul. Evidently, the corruption and maliciousness of the Devil symbolizes the natural evil of mankind. The demoralization of Brown’s overall person leads him to believe that mankind is corrupt, which causes him to lose faith.
Next, Faith, Brown’s wife, is also a major symbol in the story. Faith symbolizes Brown’s faith to his religion and his faith in his marriage. With his doubts about the Devil, Brown cannot decide whether or not to stay with his Faith, in religion and with his wife, or to sell his soul. As he is contemplating his decision, he hallucinates his wife’s voice, thinking that she is also going to purge to the Devil. Not knowing that this is all a dream, Brown symbolically and physically loses all faith to his religion, marriage, and in humanity. In the text, it states, “Turning the corner by the meeting-house, he spied the head of Faith… bursting into such joy at the sight of him that she skipped along the street and almost kissed her husband before the whole village. But Goodman Brown looked sternly and sadly into her face, and passed on without a greeting” (Hawthorne 10). Brown evidently lost all faith, even in his loving wife, which results him to live in a life of despair and loneliness. Faith was the center of Brown’s inner innocence, and without her, all is lost for him. Lastly, Brown’s journey into the forest represents a journey to Hell, a deep despairing pit of his own soul.
The woods, opposite of Brown’s city of Salem, are a dark and nightmarish place in which Brown is unfamiliar with. This area of darkness outside the village is outside the normal boundaries of right and wrong, which are outside of Brown’s comfort zone. Inside the forest is where all of Brown’s fears and suspicions come into play, doubting his initial decision about his life. This journey also represents the journey that all people must make, where they see rights and wrongs of man. At the end of the journey, most either lose their faith like Brown did, or return with a stronger mindset than they started with. In the text, it states, “He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through… It was all as lonely as could be; and there is this peculiarity in such a solitude, that the traveller knows not who may be concealed by the innumerable trunks and the thick boughs overhead; so that with lonely footsteps he may yet be passing through an unseen multitude” (Hawthorne 2). Clearly exemplified, the loneliness Brown feels causes him to feel out of the norm, uncomfortable with what he is about to do. With his doubts in mind, Brown fights the influences of evil and comes out as himself, though his view on the rest of humanity is corrupt
forever.
In conclusion, Nathaniel Hawthorne shows many forms of symbolism in his “Young Goodman Brown,” such as the stranger that Brown meets in the forest who represents the devil, Brown’s wife Faith, and his journey into the forest. These three symbols all collaboratively help in developing the overall theme of the short story.