Allegory And Symbolism In Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown

It is hard to read beyond the third paragraph of â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† without finding allegory and symbolism. The opening seems realistic--Goodman Brown, a young Puritan, leaves his home in colonial Salem to take an overnight trip-- but his wifes name, â€Å"Faith,† immediately suggests a symbolic reading. Before long, Brown’s walk into the dream-like forest seems like an allegorical trip into evil. The idea that Hawthorne shows by this trip is that people are attracted to sin through temptation which leads them towards a path of isolation and distrust. He develops this thought in the allegory and in many symbols, particularly the staff, the pink ribbon, and Faith. The allegory is about Goodman Brown following his temptation and how it is†¦show more content†¦The pink ribbons represent innocence, Faith wears those pink ribbons â€Å"the pink ribbons of her cap† (1), so she is thought to be innocent and childlike but as it turns out she is a secret sinner attracted to sin and temptation like everyone. The imagery in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is very dark and gothic like. Throughout the story the narrator tries to capture evil within the imagery. The first appearance of a dark imagery is when Goodman Brown describes the road he takes towards the forest, he describes it as â€Å"a dreary road† (8) he also describes all the trees of the forest to appear gloomy like. Another image the author paints is when Goodman Brown is walking down the road he then says that there might be a â€Å"devilish indian† (9) behind the trees. This image captures the evil and darkness that is going on in the forest and we can see this clearly through the imagery. The imagery also ties back to the thematic statement. Goodman Brown like every character in the story becomes tempted to sin. He admits that he is a horrible person â€Å"what wretch am I† (7) for leaving Faith to follow his temptation. But he is attracted and tempted to sin like every human being. His temptation leads him to become a â€Å"stern, sad†¦ distrustful† (72) man. After giving into the temptation of attending the meeting in the forest, he gives into evil and does not know what to believe or trust anymore. All because he went away from his faith. EvenShow MoreRelatedAllegory and Symbolism in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†1203 Words   |  5 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is an excellent example of the use of allegories and symbolism as a form of satire on Puritan faith. 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