Symbolism In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

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Nathaniel Hawthorne, relative of the infamous Judge Hathorne, is known for his novels and short stories. Young Goodman Brown is classic gothic short story. Goodman Brown has the choice between his wife Faith and the Devil, but it might be too late. Young Goodman Brown is filled with symbolism, from the pink ribbons on Faith to the cane in the forest. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism in Young Goodman Brown to show that one always has a choice between good and evil. Goodman Brown lives with his wife Faith, but he is devoted to the Devil. “He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest...,” (pg. 25). From this we can infer that the forest represents the pathway to devil. Along the pathway, Goodman Brown starts