Thesis-Driven Essay on the Short Story `Young Goodman Brown` by Nathaniel Hawthorne

p The Representation of Sin within Young Goodman Brown

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In Young Goodman Brown , Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism as a means of conveying the theme of original sin existing in his own society , and within every person . The author uses symbolism in many aspects of his story , from the name of the main characters wife , Faith to the representation of his father as Satanic , each aspect of Hawthorne 's tale is another awakening by young Goodman Brown on his passage through the woods . He brings his main character on a journey

through a symbolic forest , using the imagery and connotations of the forest to give insight into the main characters awakening to the evil surrounding him , the sin existing within the hearts of everyone around him , and within himself

Hawthorne 's use of symbolism leads the protagonist into an awakening that evil is existent even in the most unexpected places , including the Puritan world immediately surrounding him . At the beginning of the story , we see Goodman Brown naively admiring the world he lives in and his own way of life in Puritan society . He is reluctant to leave his home and his wife , Faith , and when he does he takes what is described as a dreary road , darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through , and closed immediately behind (Hawthorne . The character of Goodman Brown begins his awakening to the evil just beyond his front door at this point of the story , represented by the dark forest that seems to envelope him , taking him to a point of no return away from the innocence of his life just moments before

The character of Goodman Brown 's wife , Faith , acts as the first symbolic feature of Hawthorne 's story , representing the main character 's religious faith . Her name itself sheds a light on what her function in the story is . When Goodman Brown is preparing to go out on his evil purpose , he is held back at first by Faith who begs him to stay in the safety of their home instead of going out at night . In these passages we see Goodman Brown hesitate briefly , a representation of how his faith is keeping him back from doing something that he knows deep down is wrong He gives us a glimpse into what his view of Faith is when he says she 's a blessed angel on earth and after this one night I 'll cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven (Hawthorne . Here the reader sees that Goodman Brown is trying to make allowances for his actions by promising himself that if he sins this once and does not tell his wife the truth just this once , then he is justified in his actions because he will return to her at the end of the night yet , despite his conscience telling him otherwise , he continues his journey into the dark forest

The forest itself is symbolic in...