Young Goodman Brown" is a short story published by American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is often characterized as an allegory about the recognition of evil and depravity as the nature of humanity.
The beginning of the story by Nathaniel Hawthorne introduces us to Young Goodman Brown as he says goodbye to his wife of three months. He tells her that he must go on this journey and that he will be back by the morning. It is clear that he knows he is up to something and he feels a tinge of guilt because his wife, a woman named Faith who wears a pink ribbon in her hair begs him not to go.
Goodman Brown finally parts with Faith and sets out into the forest where he meets a man. Although he was expecting to find this man, who is described as looking much like
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For instance, the symbols of sunset and night, which reflect the two opposing forces of good and evil in the text. This is especially apparent when we consider that the light of late day allows him to see Faith with love whereas when he sees her in darkness, he is suspicious and afraid. The forest is a symbol for that which is dark and mysterious. The walking stick is another symbol in this story by Nathaniel Hawthorne that demonstrates how nothing is as it seems in the text. At one moment it is a withered and twisted stick while at another it changes into a slithering serpent. It is thus symbolically speaking something that has the potential to harm or to help, much like the religious figures Goodman Brown encounters in the dark. It is also worth noting that the serpent that the stick becomes is representative of the devil and evil. One of the most obvious symbols in “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is the concept of Goodman being both literally and metaphorically married to Faith. His faith is what he most treasures and after his experience it is what he is most afraid of