The first crack in Brown's resolve comes when he meets the Devil waiting for him in the woods. He explains to the Devil that his Faith caused him to be late, but instead of turning back, he continues forward, "unconsciously resuming his walk" (Hawthorne 165). Here we see the first of Brown's good intentions. We also see that Faith plays two roles in this story; Faith, the wife, and faith the substance of Browns' resolve. Faith the wife is the character of the woman he left behind that night. His faith is also left behind that night after the events take place in the forest.

The fact that Brown is not shocked at the appearance of his fellow traveler leads the reader to believe that perhaps Brown ha

I believe that the faith lost to Brown was his faith in humanity and human nature. I believe that is why all the characters in this story were of people that Brown not only was acquainted with, but they were also people that had actually helped to bring him up as a religious person. These were people that Brown highly respected, honored, and to some extent revered.

Brown is saddened by the trials that he must endure, and they cause him to lose all faith. I feel that the moment Brown began to lose faith was when the wind blew his wife's ribbon to him. The way he cries out and rampages through the forest like a mad animal leaves the reader with the feeling that Brown has gone insane. In a sense, Brown's foolish act of madness is symbolic of the way a person with no hope would behave. The wonderful thing about faith and hope is that both can be restored. Brown does not regain his composure until he hears the voice of Faith when he is almost upon the gathering place. That glimmer of hope that she is alive, that last thread is all that is keeping him from going over the edge.

This is not just a story about faith, hope, and life. It is a story about choices, decisions, and opportunity. This is just one example of how a man that knew his future chose to live his life based on one event in his past. I once heard someone say that if you do not like the way your story ends rewrite the book. My father once knew a man in this lifetime that believed in predestination. This man believed that he was destined for hell. Each day he thanked his God for that day, because that day was not spent in eternal damnation. He was grateful and chose to live his life for his faith, his family, and his friends. I believe this story can teach us that we have a choice to live however we choose. If we know how our story ends and we do not like it, then we can rewrite it. It may still end the same, but we will have a different story. For some people, our story and our ending may change and be different, but at least we have a choice.

The first walking stick in the story gives us some background information about Brown's fellow companion. The book gives us a reference to the Egyptian Magi. It is my understanding that the Egyptian Magi were a group of priests who practiced magic. The second walking stick is another part of

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Approximate Word count = 1577
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)