Young Goodman Brown: Examine Use of Symbols Within the Story and Analyze How These Symbols Help Convey the Main Theme
The story begins as Goodman Brown is about to leave his wife Faith inorder to complete an errand in the forest. He suspects that there is anevil purpose to the errand, yet he continues down the dark path to theforest despite his misgivings. Once inside the forest, Brown encounters astrange man, who he soon realizes is the Devil. Brown wishes to returnhome immediately, but the Devil begins to share startling information withhim. Indeed, the Devil asserts that he had a connection with both Brown'sgrandfather and father, both of whom he 'helped' as they committed acts of Brown is persuaded to journey further into the woods with the Devil,and they come upon a large clearing. There, Brown witnesses a strange,dark ceremony being performed, not by mysterious, evil strangers, but byhis neighbors from Salem. However, Brown is most horrified by the factthat his beloved wife Faith is among the celebrants. The next thing heknows, it is morning, and he returns to town. He is unsure whether theexperience in the woods truly occurred or if he dreamed the entire thing.Regardless, Brown now suspects evil in everyone he sees, and any vestige of
evil struggle with great drama,and entertain readers at the same time. He is thusthe perfect character to witness the ceremony in the woods (Levy 115). More importantly, thefact that Brown's beloved wife Faith also participates represents theprotagonist's total and utter loss of faith. Indeed, Brown has become awareof the ". Thus, in "Young Goodman Brown," Hawthorne tells the story of man whosuddenly comes to realize how pervasive and insidious the force evil iswithin his life. Indeed, throughout the story, Brown's relationship with his wife issymbolic of his own sense of personal faith (Levy 116). Certainly the fact that Hawthorne establishes Brown as 'young' leadsthe reader to assume a certain innocence and purity about him. Certainlythis is symbolic of the evil and wickedness that all men have buried insidethem (Tharpe 76). bore the likeness of a greatblack snake, so curiously wrought, that it might almost be seen to twistand wriggle itself, like a living serpent. As he observes her, Browncalls out, "'Faith! Faith!.
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