Symbols in Young Goodman Brown

Symbolism and Young Goodman Brown

Symbolism, something that figuratively represents something else, is prominent in many literary works. One piece of literature that stands out as a perfect example of symbolism is Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown." This story is completely symbolic, and provides a good example of an allegory. Hawthorne uses both objects and people as symbols to better support the allegorical tones throughout "Young Goodman Brown."

Nathaniel Hawthorne uses different people as symbols throughout "Young Goodman Brown." The largest symbols in the story are goodman Brown and his wife Faith. Both of the characters' names are symbolic and represent their personalities. "'With Heaven above and Faith below, I will stand firm against the devil!' cried goodman Brown," is just one of many quotes that directly relates goodman Brown's personality with his name. Goodman Brown is truly a good man. Faith, goodman Brown's wife, also has a name that hints at her nature. This is supported by the phrase "Faith, as the wife was aptly named . . . ". Faith is persistent in trying to keep goodman Brown off the path of sin in the first part of the story: " . . . pr'y thee, put off your journey until sunrise, and sleep in your own bed to-night" . Hawthorne turns the main characters into symbols that are prominent throughout the story.

Hawthorne also uses different objects in the story as symbols. One of these is the staff of the devil : "But the only thing about him, that could be fixed upon as remarkable, was his staff, which bore the likeness of a great black snake . . ." . This symbol shows the evil that is involved with the devil character because the serpent is an archetype of the devil, or of evil, which is prominent in many different cultures. Another object Hawthorne uses as a recurring symbol is the pink ribbon. The pink ribbon symbolizes the purity and innocence involved with Faith. "And Faith . . . thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons in her cap," is a great example of how Hawthorne correlates Faith with the pink ribbons of innocence . The pink ribbons are mentioned later on in the story as they fall from the sky: "But something fluttered lightly down through the air, and caught on the branch of a tree. The young man seized it, and beheld a pink ribbon." . This symbolizes Brown's loss of his Faith, referring to both his wife and his faith in mankind, as she is walking over toward the devil's gathering.

Another element in "Young Goodman Brown" that is related to symbolism is allegory. The story is an excellent example of an allegory because everything in it is something physical that represents an abstract. For instance, "'My Faith is gone!' cried he, after