The Use of Symbolism in Young Goodman Brown Essay - 742 Words

â€Å"The Use of Symbolism in Young Goodman Brown† â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1835, is a short story about a man named young Goodman Brown who leaves his wife, Faith, to go on an errand into the woods with the devil. Faith begs Goodman Brown to not leave her alone, but he chooses to go anyways. This short story shows many signs of symbolism, such as the forest, the devil, the staff, the pink ribbons, Faith, sin, and guilt. These symbols help in understanding the story of young Goodman Brown and his unconscious struggle with his religion. The trip not only takes Brown onto a journey of sadness, but also into the deepest parts of his soul. Goodman Brown wishes to enter the dark forest of sin, to satisfy his†¦show more content†¦Young Goodman Brown then finds himself alone in the forest, wondering whether he has awakened from a dream or if he really did attend the witches’ sabbath. Brown chooses to believe that his dream is true, and that everyone around him is involved in witchc raft. â€Å"The next morning, young Goodman Brown came slowly into the street of Salem village staring around him like a bewildered man.† (Paragraph 70) Because of this, Brown spends the remainder of his life being, A stern, a sad, a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a desperate man† (Paragraph 75). Goodman Brown now looks for the devil behind every bush and in the hearts of all those around him, never recognizing that his own soul is now hopelessly corrupt and blind to the light and goodness of God. The forest, the devil and his staff, and Faith and her pink ribbons are the main points to prove young Goodman Brown of a story full of symbolism. There is no doubt that the traveler meeting Brown is the devil and the devils staff is clearly the symbol of a serpent. Faith is both Brown’s wife and religion. The pink ribbons discussed are symbolized as innocence because his faith in God is the right thing to do. Unlike following the devil, which led Brown to sin and guilt. â€Å"Ha! ha! ha!† roared Goodman Brown, when the wind laughed at him. â€Å"Let us hear which will laugh loudest! Think not to frighten meShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown 946 Words   |  4 Pages In Hawthorne’s ‘Young Goodman Brown’ the main character, Goodman Brown leaves his wife alone for a night to go to a secret meeting in the forest. As it turns out the religious Goodman Brown is actually sneaking off to meet with the Devil. While in the forest with the devil he sees many influential people from town there as well, including his wife. They seem to be about to be taken into the cult when Goodman Brown looks at his wife and begs her to remain with her Faith. Next thing he knows heRead MoreCompare and Contrast Essay1047 Words   |  5 PagesCompare and Contrast â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† and â€Å"The Lottery† By: Melissa A. Reeves Professor Andrew Smith ENGL 102-B46 LUO Thesis Statement The stories â€Å"The Lottery† and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† both appear to show that human behavior and judgment can be flawed, even if the person’s intentions appear good to them. There is a level of fear and underlying evil in Puritan settings in both stories. I. Introduction/Statement of Thesis II. Themes and Author’s Purpose A. The Lottery Read MoreThe Use of Color Symbolism by Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay1024 Words   |  5 PagesIs it possible for an author to utilize so much symbolism that it captivates the reader to the extent of paralleling the tale with their own life? The principle of symbolism is quite evident in the story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†. Nathaniel Hawthorn’s work is immersed with symbolism with most of it deriving from his Puritan beliefs. The themes of sin, guilt, innocence, and lust come forth through the uses of color symbolism as well as visual clues. All of these things areRead MoreAnalysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Great Gatsby 1416 Words   |  6 PagesEdgar Allan Poe, born in the year 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts, was also a writer in Dark Romanticism. An orphan at a young age, Poe was going through a tough childhood. He took in gambling in his college years, and enlisted in the army. Struggling through poverty, he managed to win a contest with his short story, and he started devoting his life to writing. He married his young cousin, Virginia, who was 13 years old in the year 1836. Dark Romanticism is a genre branched off of Romanticism, whereasRead MoreYoung Goodman Brown Essay931 Words   |  4 PagesYoung Goodman Brown: Good versus Evil Throughout Young Goodman Brown and other works of Nathaniel Hawthorne, the themes of sin and guilt constantly reoccur. Like many authors, Hawthorne used events in his life as a basis for the stories that he wrote. Hawthorne felt that ones guilt does not die with him/her but is rather passed down through the generations. Hawthornes great-great uncle was one of the judges during the Salem witchcraft trials. Hawthorne felt a great sense of guilt because ofRead MoreA And P Symbolism Essay877 Words   |  4 Pages Symbolism is the use of symbols that help represent ideas or qualities. In literature, authors use symbolism to illustrate a specific mood or emotion through the use of objects or characters. Symbolism helps engage the readers to predict and analyze certain meanings presented in the story instead of just reading it. The two short stories, â€Å"A and P† written by John Updike and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† written by Nathaniel Hawthorne both showcase and conv ey symbolism throughout their writing. Read MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown1065 Words   |  5 PagesWhen it comes to the topic of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown, most of us will readily agree that duplicity is a major theme in the piece, or the idea of different versions of reality. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of whether Hawthorne is implying that man is inherently evil. Whereas some are convinced that Young Goodman Brown was good until tainted by the Devil, others maintain that he was evil from the beginning and was completely aware of the evil heRead MoreSymbolism Is The Use Of Symbols To Signify Important Meaning1305 Words   |  6 PagesSymbolism is the use of symbols to signify important meaning to things. These symbols could be basically anything in which a meaning is more than just the literal context. Hawthorne has several uses of symbolisms in his stories. Symbolism was very popular literary device during the Romantic period, where the objec t embodied some sort of idea. â€Å"The symbolism of his works focused on isolation and guilt of the individual, the uncertainties of good and evil, and the continual hold of the past on theRead MoreSymbolism Of Ernest Hemingway s Young Goodman Brown989 Words   |  4 PagesHemingway uses various images and objects that project emotions and feelings that are not explained in words. They are left for the reader to infere for themselves. By looking at the symbolism of the title, the scenery, and drinks, we are able to analyze the truth in the couple’s relationship. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, is a suspenseful story in which we see various forms of symbolism. This story presents us with the protaganist, a young and innocent man named Goodman Brown, whichRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne1422 Words   |  6 Pageswas born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. He was most famous for his writings The Scarlet Letter, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† and an abundant array of other books and short stories. The stories that are mentioned contain a copious amount of symbolism throughout the entirety of each book. All the stories that he ever wrote have an underlying meaning and the symbolism was hidden within in the names, characters, places, and actions that happened in the books and helped the