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Symbolism Of Symbolism In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

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“Everything in this world has a hidden meaning” revealed famous Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis. For example, the American flag is not only a piece of cloth, but it is also a symbol of freedom and national pride. An owl is not only an animal, but also a symbol of wisdom. American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne uses a butterfly as a symbol of happiness since, “when pursued, [it] is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you sit down quietly, may alight upon you” (Hawthorne). Authors around the world have used symbols in their works to reveal a deeper hidden meaning. One of Hawthorne’s most famous short stories “Young Goodman Brown” uses symbols such as pink ribbons, a dark forest, and a serpentine staff to contribute to his overall meaning that life is full of temptations that ultimately lead men into sin and away from God. All throughout the story, Goodman Brown’s wife Faith wears pink ribbons on her cap. The first significance of this description is the color. Pink is typically associated with babies and young girls, which Hawthorne tries to highlight in his description of Faith. Pink is also associated with things like friendship, harmony, and affection, which is the relationship Goodman Brown and Faith have at the beginning of the story. Just by picking a single color, Hawthorne draws readers’ attention to Faith and her external innocence. He makes her seem young and naïve as she “thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons
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