Symbols and Analysis within Young Goodman Brown by...

Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne provides historical, societal, religious, scientific and biographical contexts. The story is set in the period of the Salem Witch Trials in Puritan New England. The story describes Browns journey into the depths of the forest, where he believes that he sees many of the members of his community, including his wife Faith, attending a satanic ceremony. The narrator implies that Brown may be sleeping, but either way the experience was real. It affected Brown very much. The story is often read as Hawthornes condemnation of Puritan ideology, as it proposes that Puritan doctrine could strain so much doubt that believers were doomed to see evil-whether or not it truly existed-in themselves and†¦show more content†¦Brown’s decision to go into the forest was motivated by his curiosity, just as Eve’s decision to eat the forbidden fruit was led by her curiosity as well. The staff implies that the old man is more of a demon than a human and that Goodman Brown travels on the path toward evil when he takes it to travel. Goodman Brown represents anyone; he is basically any and every man. When the symbolism started at the beginning of the story Brown was first described as young and newly married. His wife Faith, whose name and character bears much significance, represented many different ideas. Goodman Brown can symbolically be viewed as a believer and a follower of God. Brown and â€Å"Faith’s† relationship is still being established, he does not completely cling to faith. Each time Goodman Brown refers to her, it is only too clear that he may in fact be referring to his own personal faith in God, life, and humanity, which is questioned to the point of breaking in this narrative. In fact, it seems that Faith is not even a character, so to speak. Rather, she is a tangible symbol of Goodman Brown’s faith and the changes that it endures when Goodman Brown loses his childhood innocence. (Stephanie Paey) Ignoring his wife’s plea to not take the journey but Brown allows the demonic figure to convince him to go into the forest despite knowing that not even his ancestors have traveled through there before.Show MoreRelated Analysis of Setting in Young Goodman Brown Essays877 Words   |  4 PagesAn analysis of the setting in Nathaniel Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown In the story of Young Goodman Brown setting plays an important role. It provides symbolism to certain events and provokes emotions amongst the characters, especially those of Goodman Brown. The story of Young Goodman Brown is that of a man on an adventure to feed his curiosity and to visit the dark side of his Puritan town. 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