Paranoia In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

Paranoia is a very strange “Mental condition in which a person has long-term pattern of distrust and suspicion of others” (U.S. National Library of Medicine). Our prehistoric ancestors faced a ferocious world where misjudgment could be fatal. In adapting to this rigid way of life, man had adopted the idea of paranoia and embraced it. By constantly observing their surroundings and trusting only those they knew, homo sapiens were able to survive in these barbaric times. Later on, man became much more knowledgeable and gained skills that enabled him to build shelter and store food. However, it almost seems like this trait of paranoia was handed down through the new generations, causing people in our society to seem “abnormal.” Many writers

In the first paragraph, it is described as “Faith, as the wife was aptly named, [who] thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons of her cap while she called to Goodman Brown” (310). As one can see, Faith is described as a pretty woman, who is possibly young because young girls usually wear ribbons. Children are known for their innocence and purity, so perhaps these ribbons represent this idea. The author repeatedly mentions her ribbons throughout the story, pointing towards a significant meaning. In the middle of Young Goodman Brown’s expedition in the forest, he explains that “But something fluttered lightly down through the air and caught on the branch of the tree. The young man seized it, and beheld a pink ribbon. ‘My Faith is gone...There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil; for to thee is this world given.’” (315) Goodman Brown discusses the devil and exclaims how nothing is just in this world. The ribbon fluttering down from the sky suggests that Faith has lost her purity and has turned to sin. This seems a little paranoid, as Goodman Brown assumes that his wife resorted to transgression. In fact, this paranoia is more exposed when he is talking to himself and saying things like “Faith! Faith…Look up to heaven, and resist the wicked one.”