Symbolism in Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne - Book Report/Review Example

Young Goodman Brown The story of Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a well-articulated piece of workthat depicts the aspects of good and evil, using several symbols. The story talks about Goodman’s journey to the forest that ends up exposing him to the dark world. Hawthorne writes the masterpiece with a pool of symbols that promotes the understanding of the story. Symbolism is used to depict Goodman’s experience in and out of the forest enhancing the understanding of the concept of good and evil. The story begins with an ironical situation where Goodman leaves his three months’ old married wife for something not known deep in the forest. He is very persuasive despite his wife’s plea that he should not go. This aspect is symbolic of the drive that entices humans to pursue their hearts’ desires despite the counsel they get from people who care about them. Leaving ‘Faith’ for the wild symbolically represents a situation where a person will depart from good to pursue something not certain. In the case of Goodman, an evil venture. The forest life presents very unnatural situations, just like the way evil powers manifests supernaturally to men. The forest is a place for the wild. It has been used as an expression of the horrible occurrences that happens in there. The first instance he meets an older man who resembles him completely. The appearance of this man symbolises the decision to pursue evil at the age when he already knows how to do good. The resemblance depicts that evil is available among all men including to Goodman. He sees it as a place of no good. He echoes the dominant point of view of seventeenth-century Puritans, who believed that the wild world was something to fear and then dominate (Ezghoul and Zuraika 2). It is symbolic that despite being in the midst of evil Goodman is able to recognise the faith he had always upheld, when he says, “We are a people of prayer, and good works to boot, and abide no such wickedness” (Hawthorne 1123). This statement is symbolic of the knowledge of doing well that Goodman had been exposed to in his life. The names of the characters in the story are full of hidden meaning. The main character, Goodman, is a symbol that depicts a man who knows how to do good and has the capability to do good, but ironically the symbol reveals that it is good people who end up to committing evil. Apart from him, his wife is also symbolic. Faith had married good man for only three months before he decides to take a walk into the forest at night. She symbolises the belief that Goodman had been upholding but now makes a decision to abandon them. Her name is symbolic of good, Faith is an advantage to him, but he leaves it for unknown results. The devil’s stuff is a very symbolic figure that is used to show the combination of the devil and evil. Just like the biblical deception Eve was exposed to, Goodman takes the staff in order to travel faster but this result into further frustrations. This demonstrates the extent to which humans lose their innocence and faith to curiosity and selfish desires (Fogle 209).. Serpent, further symbolises the ability of evil powers to harm rather than benefit an individual, encircled the stuff. Because of the inherent human weakness and the inability to fight spiritual aspects physically, Goodman ignorantly held the stuff and was pushed by the powers of evil. The serpent is symbolic of the devil and wickedness. The choice to hold the stuff by Goodman symbolises human weakness in taming their desires. The experience in the forest symbolises the effect of engaging in evil. Goodman Brown, like other Puritans, associates the forest with the wild “Indians” and sees one hiding behind every tree. The real life situation under the influence of the supernatural powers makes Goodman to rethink about his being and the way he perceived fellow human beings and God. The author has framed the story symbolically for the audience to get the image of good and evil painted. The use of night is symbolic of powers of darkness. This is where Goodman encounters unusual powers. The description of the man he finds that completely resembles him is a depiction that all humans are evil. In addition, he encounters senior people of his society and funny enough hears her wife’s voice, symbolising that evil is part of the world and every human is evil to a certain degree. The revelations of the evil are deceptive. Symbolically, Goodman heard the people he regarded in the society and his wife in the forest. This made him cast doubt to humans and their relationship with God. He not only hears senior political leaders but also spiritual leaders. This situation symbolises how the devil tries to shame those who do good so that he can gain reputation among the evil doers. The incidence symbolises what man goes through in fighting evil, and how the devil manages to deceive the man and weaken his faith. Despite being a believer in God, Goodman loses faith in him and humankind after perceiving that he had witnessed his wife and respected members of his town participating in a Black Mass. His experience dooms him to a life of gloom and mistrust. The symbols used by the author also reveal a society that is morally ruined. Hawthorne points out to corruption as deeply rooted in the Puritan society as the society puts emphasis on public morality, which in the contrary weakens private religious faith (Fogle 217).. Hawthorne depicts Goodman Brown as brave deciding to come into the forest to meet the devil. However, Goodman still hides his face from his grandfather Goody Cloyse, and upon hearing the voice of the minister, a symbol of human hypocrisy. Human hypocrisy is depicted as, never wanting to be associated with the devil but behind the scenes, they engage in his schemes. Goodman’s decision to proceed in the forest symbolises the decisions made by humans that can lead to greatness or failure. Instead of being corrupted by some outside force, Goodman Brown makes a personal choice to go into the forest and meet with the devil. The choice was the true danger, the devil only facilitates Goodman Brown’s fall. Goodman’s decision is misguided and lacks counsel hence he finds himself in trouble. Situations in life emanating from one’s decisions can cause a total disorientation in the way a person believes. Goodman faces an incidence that transforms his view of life. The decision predisposes the young man to a live of confusion and disappointment. Goodman Brown losses his innocence that had taken him hostage for years (Hostetler 223). The choice he made drives him to the reality of life where through bad situations people learn lessons, but his a traumatising one. Faith is a very symbolic character that the author uses to draw his point. Abandoning of the Christian faith as well as a lovely woman, ‘Faith’ by Goodman is a contradiction of humans’ desire. Every person desires a good family, a strong conviction and a supernatural being to adore. Goodman has found all these but he is in a quest to seek other pleasures that does not guarantee him any good. In the forest, he is constantly in doubt of the people he knows.He cannot believe what he can see (Ezghoul and Zuraika 3). Goodman Brown’s inability to comprehend the situation he was in symbolises the results that appears after an encounter with evil powers. He is never certain whether the evil events of the night are real, but it does not matter (Hostetler 225). If they are a dream, then they come completely from Goodman Brown’s head. Either way, the bottom line is man is evil. Whether he was in a dream or it was reality, the indication is that man is constantly evil, consciously and unconsciously. If they are real, then Goodman Brown has truly seen that everyone around him is corrupt, and he brought this realization upon himself through his excessive curiosity. Hawthorne has addressed the question of purity using several symbols. Goodman leaves his ‘Faith’, both his young family and his religious beliefs. He makes a deliberate attempt to end in the forest to seek these powers but they reduce him to a confused and psychologically disturbed individual. The man would have abounded by the purity of her character, family and religious views. The Pink ribbons in Faith’s head are a symbol of purity and innocence, as Goodman parts ways with Faith, he actually loses these aspects (Ezghoul and Zuraika 2). In the current set up, this can be likened to the human desires that make them depart from what is good and worthwhile to lustfully desiring dangerous things. Sometimes, exploration of dangerous situations can lead to irreversible effects on humans, just like it happened to Goodman. Goodman’s experience in the forest is symbolic of the appealing nature of the forces of evil. Goodman meets Goody Cloyse where he has attempted to refuse evil but the battle was so heavy, he says, “Is that any reason why I should quit my dear Faith, and go after her?” (Hawthorne 1125). This he says in response to the sight of a woman that had fallen into the trap of sin. The devil is very cunning, at some point, he disappears but again he comes back with more enticing schemes. This is symbolic of what happens in normal day lives where individuals are tempted and enticed to evil that masquerades as good. The ribbons on Faith’s head are representative of the innocence of the young people who are corrupted by the systems of the world. Being married to Goodman is symbolic of their initial love for each other and God (Ezghoul and Zuraika 4). Goodman, so named ironically to convey the meaning that humans are good but the temptation to evil pulls them to a life of total misery, disorganisation and lose of faith in live for both fellow men and God. Evil thrives in darkness while good thrives in light, this contrasts emphasises the need to allow light and avoid darkness. Darkness results in a state of confusion where an individual does not understand what is happening while light good makes an individual do right and make correct judgements. The effects that follow the return of Goodman Brown are symbolic of the consequences of evil. The effects of the evil experience are noticeable across the passage as Goodman goes through the awful experience (Fogle 211). When he return he refuses to greet his wife, Faith. He is suspicious of everybody, he put the blame on others when he should be the one to be blamed for all that happened to him. In extension, he denies his faith resulting into a life of evil. He retorts, “my Faith is gone” symbolising the loss of both his wife and his religious convictions (Hawthorne 1127). The deliberate effort to walk with the look-alike symbolises how the devil disguises so that humans may not comprehend him. Communion with the devil only occurs in his territory. An embrace of the devil and his evils calls for a reciprocate embrace from him. Goodman travels with demonic characters that give him the full support he requires and constantly misdirects him in the understanding of the Christian views he upholds. A major companion says, “This is a dull pace for the beginning of the journey. Take my staff if you are so soon weary” (Hostetler 223). This indicates that a slight walk with the devil wearies a person and predisposes them to need for help that is not truly found in the devil. Symbolism has been widely used in this story to help the reader draw a variety of lessons. The clear message that is sent by these symbols is that, humans have an inherent evil desire that prompts them to attempt new and uncertain things. Goodman is a good man who is misdirected and ends up into evil losing his innocence, his family’s understanding, and his religious faith. Lose of these is symbolised by a life of desperation. These symbols make the story captivating and enhance the depth of the message delivered. Works Cited Ezghoul, Naim and Zuraika, Malek. ‘Young Goodman Brown’: The Close Lane. International Journal of English and Literature. Vol. 1(1), pp. 001-006, Fogle, Richard H. “Ambiguity and Clarity in Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown.”A Casebook on the Hawthorn Question. Ed. Agnes McNeill Donohue. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1963. 207-221. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Young Goodman Brown”.Exploring Literature. Ed. Frank Madden. 5th Edition. New York: Longman, 2012. 1122-1131. Print Hostetler, Norman, Narrative Structure and Theme in “Young Goodman Brown”. The Journal of Narrative Technique. Vol 12, 1982. pp.221-228 Read More