Goodman Brown Essay - Tainted Faith

Sarah Dormeus

Intro to Literature

Professor Cowen

18 February 2016

                                                         Tainted Faith

In Young Goodman Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses allegory, symbolism, and irony to elude that if your faith isn’t build upon a strong foundation it will easily be weakened. Young Goodman Brown goes on a journey into the woods seeing the world as good vs. evil. Young Goodman browns faith is tested as he is manipulated and persuaded to move deeper and deeper into the forest. He intern gets to deep and is too late to turn back, his faith has been weakened and he now has lost all his innocence. He comes out of the forest seeing the world as only evil. The world’s standards and morals weighted on his beliefs and faith, which caused him to be easily manipulated. Therefore, Hawthorne emphasizes that if your religious faith lies on society’s principles it will easily be weakened.

Hawthorne uses allegory throughout his entire piece to emphasize the significance of the role society plays in Goodman’s journey. “ Young Goodman Brown came forth at sunset into the street at Salem village (Hawthorne 1).” The setting of the story has an allegorical significance. Salem represents Americas darkest, which consisted of witchcraft, hangings and religion. Hawthorne uses such a charged term to get his readers ready to think about good vs. evil, witchery, and sin.  Hawthorne also uses many allegorical symbolizes to represent the fight between societies morale that affected Goodman’s depreciating faith. He states “ Now are ye undecided. Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness. Welcome again, my children, to the communion of your race (Hawthorne 50).”  Society has perceived man as good and evil but as Goodman witness throughout his journey good turned evil therefore, there is no faith to stand on; Society has been deceitful.

Moreover, Hawthorne uses irony to show how Young Goodman was easily deceived to drop his beliefs and give into sin. “ he passed a crook of the road, and, looking forward again, beheld the figure of a man , in grave and decent attire, seated at the foot of an old tree( Hawthorne 10).”  This man represents the devil. Hawthorne uses the irony of describing him in grave and decent attire. The devil isn’t described in his traditional image of being red with fiery horns; instead he is blending in with the Goodman himself. This makes it easy for the devil to help Goodman misplace his faith. Hawthorne also uses religious entities that played a major role in Goodmans life so show him that what he thought was so good isn’t so good. He uses this craft as a form of irony to further elude his point that the things society will make you believe pure and good may be tainted. “ He pointed his staff at a female figure on the path whom Goodman recognized a very pious and exemplary dame, who taught him his catechism in youth, and was still his moral and spiritual adviser, jointly with the minster and Deacon Gookin(Hawthorne 34).” The devil is introducing him to people that he looked up to religiously to be in the woods with him. Tis forces Goodman to ask himself is there really good in this world? Because the thing he figured were pure and righteous are walking on the road to evil with him.

Furthermore, his piece with symbolism, which foreshadows Young Goodman Brown lose of innocence “ But put his head back, after crossing the threshold, to exchange a parting kiss with his young wife. And Faith, as the wife was aptly named, thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons of her cap while she called to Goodman Brown (hawthorne1)” Hawthorne uses threshold to represent crossing boundaries which foreshadows Goodman’s decision between good or evil. He also uses Goodman’s wife name Faith to represents Goodman’s literal religious faith throughout his journey in the woods. Goodman tried to both literally hold on to his religious faith as well as come back to his wife Faith. All the evil temptations and societal moral principles that stood in the woods depreciated Goodman’s faith. Faith’s pink ribbons represented youth, purity, love, and feminist, which foreshadowed how something so pure can be tainted. “ The young man seized it, and beheld a pink ribbon. My faith Is gone! Cried he, after one stupefied moment. There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come devil; for to thee is this world given (Hawthorne 33)” Goodman realized his religious connections were rooted in the fact that every one was good which made him easy to manipulate. Hawthorne uses symbolism to represents factors that affected Goodman’s lose of innocence.