Vince Yock
English Pd: 3
Young Goodman Brown
5/11/10
Young Goodman Brown
If you where a good puritan with a long line of family ancestry, would you go into
the forest that they never went into? In Young Goodman Brown, Goodman Brown
leaves his recently wedded wife “faith” to go onto a journey into the woods with a
mysterious man who tests Young Goodman Browns faith and good morals. The man
turns out to be the devil and turns Brown against himself and lets him see the evil in
every villager after the journey is over. (TS) The evil within the forest is symbolic in,
Young Goodman Brown, The snake shaped staff, and his secret and unknown companion
he meets.
Goodman Brown should not have entered the forest if he truly is a good, religious
person and has good morals. His parents before him have never entered the woods on
such an errand. My father never went in to the woods on such an errand, nor his father
before him. We have been a race of good honest men. When brown first starts on his
journey into the woods, his “faith” kicks in and makes him 2nd guess his choice to go with
the devil, saying none of his ancestors would. The puritans and his ancestors believed
that the woods to be a habit of the devil, symbolizing the devils abode. When he takes
the journey he has to leave his faith, also referring to his wife behind at home. When
Goodman Brown first approach’s the woods he says “sorry my faith held me back”
symbolizing the play on faith, that his goodness has held him back but so did his wife,
faith. This can also mean that god or Brown’s soul is already telling him not to follow
the devil into the woods. When he surcomes to the devils journey, he loses his faith,
meaning he has lost his wife, and all goodness in the world around him. Browns
departure from faith shows a trip towards uncertainty and will text his knowledge. The
mysterious walking staff his unknown companion always holds in his hand. The staff
represents a serpent creature.
When brown meets the old man at the beginning of the forest, he is holding a
snake shaped staff almost symbolizing Adam & Eve. The snake shaped staff represents
the already sly trickiness of Browns unknown companion, and that he has taken over the
woods just like the serpent did in the Garden of Eden. His unknown companion’s staff
also symbolizes, that he is already preying on Brown. To me in the story the staff
represents a map, a pathway to evil for Goodman Brown. Sit here and rest yourself a
while; the devil says and when you feel like moving again, here is my staff to help you
along. This is a dull place for the beginning of a journey; take my staff, if you are soon
weary. There are many points in the story in which support my reasoning on the devils
staff representing a map of evil for Brown to take in the woods.
By the devil throwing his staff down at Young Goodman Brown, he is
symbolizing that Brown is now throwing away his life as a puritan and giving it to the
devil. The power within the Serpent staff, and the willingness of the devil to give it to
Brown, proves that brown will soon give in. As his companion points his staff down the
pathway at a figure, in whom Goodman Brown recognized from his past. Symbolizing
his companion’s power to bring back a soul. After not accepting the staff from the devil,
he then makes Brown a new staff which he finally accepts, proving his path to evil. By
Brown taking the new staff and evil trip, he is then initiated into the evil within the
villagers. The forest symbolizes the mysteriousness of Browns unknown companion.
The woods show how Goodman Brown slowly starts to realize his unknown companion
is really the devil. When Goody Cloyse approach’s the “devil” she screams “the devil!”
trying to warm Young Goodman Brown his unknown companion in really the
devil.(Locher) He follows the devil down a dreary road, aside a long narrow pathway
that’s winding; symbolizing his long way away from innocence. Let us walk on,
nevertheless, reasoning as we go, and I convince thee not thou shalt turn back.
Symbolizing the devil luring him to becoming evil. Hawthorne depicts Brown as the
biggest sinner of all for turning his back on everyone.(Cummings) As the pink ribbon
falls from the sky, it is symbolizing Brown losing his faith crying out “my faith is gone!”
(Hamilton) showing that the devil has won.
Hawthorne wrote a very convincing tail, about how to never go against your own
set morals, and how do not go against your conscience. He wrote a tail that also had
history in it, by depicting the setting in Salem during the time of the Salem Witch Trials.
He was able to show each step of how the devil slowly broke Young Goodman Brown
down still he finally gave in. It first started with him leaving his wife faith, which is no
mistake, its ironic to him leaving his actually faith behind. He then gave him a staff that
helped lead him in the direction the devil wanted him to go, which was to become evil.
Finally he broke him down to where the devil made him see the evil in everyone and
everyone in the village. Nathaniel Hawthorne just proved to everyone who read his story
that you should never go against your self and what you believe in, in your life. It never
pays off down the road.
Work Cited
"More Symbolism." Editorial. everything4me. Faith, Apr.-May 2010. Web.
22 Apr. 2010. Web.
Lorcher, Trent. "Symbolism in Young Goodman Brown." Editorial. Bright
hub. N.p., Apr.-May 2010. Web. 22 Apr. 2010. Web.
"Criticism, 'Young Goodman Brown.'" Editorial. Enotes.com. N.p., Apr.May 2010. Web. 22 Apr. 2010.Web.
Hamilton, D.C. “Symbolism in Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown.” Editorial.
Associated content. N.p, Apr.-May 2010. Web. 23 Apr. 2010. Web.
Cummings, Michael J. “Young Goodman Brown.” Editorial. Cummings Study Guides.
Web. 23 Apr. 2010. Web.