The Destruction Of Faith In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

Through the short story “Young Goodman Brown” Nathaniel Hawthorne is able to get the reader’s attention by writing about a man’s journey within many elements shaping his life. In every aspect of the short story, Nathaniel Hawthorne was able to shed light on the tragic truth of how appearances may lead to a deceiving ending. He shows this eye-opening theme by manipulating the powerful effect characterization, a motif, and irony has for fully incorporating his theme throughout the story. Notably, Hawthorne included Faith as a character with traits in which were necessary for the faith Goodman Brown carried to support the overall theme of how what we see may not always be true. While Brown was beginning his journey into the woods, he proclaimed

For this reason, he was so madly fixated on what she projected upon him, which would move him to rather be “so purely and sweetly now, in the arms of Faith” who seemed to guide him towards God. Therefore, Hawthorne used the characteristics of Faith to supply Brown with the amount of faith which he would not have without her as a way to provide evidence on how appearances can be deceiving. Such as along the progression of the plot, Brown demonstrated signs of heartbreak as effect of the new revelations which he has made in the woods. Brown soon realizes the one who supplied him with the steady faith he desperately needed is now gone and screams in agony “there’s no good on earth and sin is but a name” because Faith had let the Devil captive her. Everything Brown had wrapped his brain around was now a complete lie because the theme Nathaniel

When one thinks about the color pink the instant idea about it is the innocence it brings to the environment which is what Nathaniel Hawthorne used it for in his short story. The constant reoccurrence of the pink ribbons Faith always seemed to have, gave off the inference of her being a purely innocent woman which is how Brown saw her as well. As Brown commenced his adventure into the woods his wife shouted: “God Bless you!”.... with the pink ribbons” trying to show innocence in her appearance. She hoped for the well-being of her loving husband who saw her for the sweetness her pink ribbons projected. After Faith called out for his safe travel Brown looked back at her while a “melancholy air, in spite of her pink ribbons” was arising in spite of the innocent feel-good vibe which allegedly came from the pink ribbons. Yet, again the mention of the pink ribbons makes the reader, as well as Brown, feel as if Faith were a perfectly innocent woman who even placed them “in her cap”. Sadly, as Nathaniel Hawthorne points out, appearances manage to deceive just about anyone because Brown soon came to a sudden realization about his godly wife. Along the path of his journey in the woods his eyes caught an item falling upon a tree which he quickly grabbed “and behold a pink ribbon” which Faith usually carried around in her presence. The