Symbolism In Young Goodman Brown

Young Goodman Brown is a short story published in 1835 written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Symbolism can be seen throughout Young Goodman Brown in many different forms. The story itself is even considered an allegory, when practically everything is a symbol in itself. Hawthorne thought that the 'fancy free’ fiction style of most writers of the time was incorrect and illogical and wanted to write something different, like many other gothic writers. Symbolism is when something represents something else without it being directly announced. Innocence is a common theme throughout the story being symbolised as multiple things and innocence itself could be a symbol. In “Young Goodman Brown,” through the use of symbols, Hawthorne presents the lesson that,

“‘My father never went into the woods on such an errand, nor his father before him. We have been a race of honest men and good Christians since the days of the martyrs; and shall I be the first of the name of Brown that ever took this path and kept -’ (Hawthorne, 3)” No one takes this route which makes it even more adventurous making him less innocent because he needs to be a man to accomplish this feat no one else has before. Him being a man makes it seem as if he is growing up and losing that innocence. He also doesn 't learn from their mistakes and decides to make his own mistakes, trying to become a man.The route he takes through the woods symbolize growing up, therefore him going down it symbolises his loss of innocence.

Hawthorne also uses the loss of Faith 's pink ribbons to teach the moral of the short story. Hawthorne discusses this by stating, “But something fluttered lightly down through the air and caught on the branch of a tree. The young man seized it, and beheld a pink ribbon. (Hawthorne, 8)” Faiths ribbons come loose from her bonnet symbolising how she has lost her innocence and now is no longer a child and youthful. It is also at this point the first time the ribbons are seen without Faith also symbolising how you can lose your innocence without anyone, even you, noticing. The loss of the pink ribbons symbolize the loss of someone 's innocence.

The last symbol Hawthorne uses to convey the moral of the story