Symbolism in Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne

“Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel

Hawthorne contains much symbolism. The symbols take many forms

from the setting to the characters. The symbols can be viewed as

just part of the story line, but apon further thought they

represent many different things. Faith, Brown’’s wife, is a

symbol herself. When he says, ““My love and my Faith,”” he is

using his wife as a symbol and is really referring to his love

and faith in God. He goes on to say ““this one night I must tarry

away from thee.”” He means that he must part from his faith in

God to carry on with his journey. He also says to the devil, ““

Faith kept me back awhile”” and is making reference to a higher

being that is trying to keep him from making his journey by

delaying it. When Brown finds the pink ribbon that his wife was

wearing lying in the forest he says, ““my Faith is gone”” and is

referring to himself as losing his faith in God. Also, Goodman

Brown’’s ““errand”” symbolizes the Puritan voyage where they were

to find the plan that God has set for them and let faith be their

guidance. As Goodman Brown continues his ““errand”” and thing

begin to go array he grows weak and falls to the ground. He

"begins to doubt whether there really was a Heaven above him" and

this is a key point when Goodman Brown's faith begins to wain.

Goodman Brown in panic declares that "With Heaven above, and

Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil!" This is

similar to a Puritan putting his faith in God and following

““God’’ Plan.”” The forest that Goodman Brown ventures to in

itself is a symbol. In the Puritan days the townspeople were

barred from going into the forest because that is where evil

lurked and even says ““ my father never went into the woods……nor

his father before him.”” Hawthorne described the forrest as ““ a

dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest””

and even jokes of the evil lurking there when he says ““there may

be a devilish Indian behind every tree”” and ““What if the devil

himself should be at my very elbow!”” Hawthorne even uses the

main character as a symbol. His name, Young Goodman Brown makes

reference to him as being young and a good person. Then Hawthorne

gives him such a common last name that it relates him to any and

everybody, just like he does in one of his other short stories,

““Everyman””, when he uses this as a reference to all of society.