Allegory And Symbolism In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

In the short story called, “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne we are taken on a journey that Goodman Brown is taking in the dark woods with a character that can be seen as a man sent from the devil himself. Faith, Brown’s wife doesn’t want him to go on the journey but he tells her that he must go. Brown taking this journey can be seen as something that would be considered evil and a sin in the Christian faith. Nathaniel Hawthorne was known as an American novelist and is known for his dark romantic short story writing. His use of allegory and symbolism makes him one of the most studied writers. In this short story there is symbolism that we can tie in with being a part of the Christian faith and how some of these symbols can be tied in with sin and evil having to deal with the devil. In the beginning of the story Goodman Brown talks about the “... dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of

Pink is seen as a color of purity and of innocence. The first time we are introduced to these ribbons is when the story first starts. “... Letting the wind play with the pink ribbons of her cap...” (386). I think that the ribbons show that Faith is true to her religion and will not let evil or the devil into her life. “But something fluttered lightly down through the air, and caught on the branch of a tree. The young man seized it, and behind a pink ribbon” (392). Further into the story the pink ribbons come back from faith’s hat and it has appeared in the woods this can be seen as a sign that faith has been captured by the devil and no longer practices the Christian faith. Faith can also be seen as a symbol of Goodman’s faith and beliefs. Faith has a lot of meaning in this short story because she’s seen as Goodman Brown’s wife but also his religious side of his life and I think choosing her name to be Faith was