Young Goodman Brown 7
"Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne contains much symbolism. The symbols take many forms from the setting to the characters. The symbols can be viewed as just part of the story line, but apon further thought they represent many different things. Faith, Brown's wife, is a symbol herself. When he says, "My love and my Faith," he is using his wife as a symbol and is really referring to his love and faith in God. He goes on to say "this one night I must tarry away from thee." He means that he must part from his faith in God to carry on with his journey. He also says to the devil, " Faith kept me back awhile" and is making reference to a higher being that is trying to keep him from making his journey by delaying it. When Brown finds the pink ribbon that his wife was wearing lying in the forest he says, "my Faith is gone" and is referring to himself as losing his faith in God. Also, Goodman Brown's "errand" symbolizes the Puritan voyage where they were to find the plan that God has set for them and let faith be
Hawthorne even uses the main character as a symbol. His name, Young Goodman Brown makes reference to him as being young and a good person. Then Hawthorne gives him such a common last name that it relates him to any and everybody, just like he does in one of his other short stories, "Everyman", when he uses this as a reference to all of society. their guidance. As Goodman Brown continues his "errand" and thing begin to go array he grows weak and falls to the ground. He "begins to doubt whether there really was a Heaven above him" and this is a key point when Goodman Brown's faith begins to wain. Goodman Brown in panic declares that "With Heaven above, and Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil!" This is similar to a Puritan putting his faith in God and following "God' Plan." Another symbol that is present in the story is the mysterious man in the forest. He symbolizes the devil or evil in the story and strangely bears "a considerable resemblance to [Goodman Brown]." The Devil had with him a staff that "bore the likeness o
Some common words found in the essay are:
Goodman Brown, Adam Eve, Faith Brown's, Goodman Brown's, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Brown Devil, Heaven Faith, Knowledge Brown, goodman brown, Eve Brown, faith god, adam eve, God' Plan, goodman brown's, love faith, wife symbol,
Approximate Word count = 706
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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