It can be construed further as the journey into sin and darkness continues. The woods in “Young Goodman Brown” are an obvious symbol of the devil’s abode. The Forest - Puritans believed the woods to be the habitat of the devil. Brown’s journey, therefore, represents the loss of innocence (We’ll talk about this more when we discuss allegory in “Young Goodman Brown.”). Young Goodman Brown symbolizes the innocence of young, good men, who are all tempted and to some extent all give in.

Young Goodman Brown - This too is a hammer over the head symbol. Although Brown dies a bitter man, blaming the wickedness and hypocrisy of others, he leaves his Faith first. Young Goodman Brown’s wife is an obvious symbol for Young Goodman Brown’s faith. Nathaniel Hawthorne Important Symbolsįaith - We’ll start with an easy one. Keep reading for an in depth look at Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown Symbolism. Characteristics of the American Romantic period include a fascination with the supernatural, an impulse toward reform, the celebration of the individual, a reverence for nature, and the idealization of women (for a more in depth look at American Romanticism, follow the above link).

The time period which Hawthorne wrote in was known as the Romantic Period. Rich in allegory and symbolism, and suffused with darkness, tragedy, satire and the supernatural, the tales in this collection, written by a master of the short-story genre, delve into the conflict between good and evil, explore the concept of Original Sin and bring to life the moralistic and superstitious early days of the New England colonies.Ĭontains: ‘The Gentle Boy’, ‘My Kinsman, Major Molineux’, ‘Roger Malvin’s Burial’, ‘The Canterbury Pilgrims’, ‘The Seven Vagabonds’, ‘The Grey Champion’, ‘Young Goodman Brown’, ‘Wakefield’, ‘The White Old Maid’, ‘The Ambitious Guest’, ‘The Maypole of Merry Mount’, ‘The Minister’s Black Veil’, ‘Dr Heidegger’s Experiment’, ‘The Man of Adamant’ and ‘The Great Carbuncle’.Before Discussing Symbolism in “Young Goodman Brown” Described by Herman Melville as being “as deep as Dante”, ‘Young Goodman Brown’ is set during the Salem witch trials and features the sort of narrative ambiguities and troubling uncertainties over the reality of events that Hawthorne was known for, leading readers to ponder what they have read long after the last page has been turned.

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