Allegory and Symbolism in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young...

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is an excellent example of the use of allegories and symbolism as a form of satire on Puritan faith. According to Frank Preston Stearns, author of The Life and Genius of Nathaniel Hawthorne, â€Å"Hawthorne may have intended this story as an exposure of the inconsistency, and consequent hypocrisy, of Puritanism† (Stearns 181). Throughout the story of â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† Hawthorne tries to infuse as many symbols and allegories as he can to enhance the overall meaning of his story. He uses the village, Goodman Brown, Faith, the man in the forest, and the time spent in the forest as either a symbol or an allegory to get his point across that Puritans are not always what they seem to be. One of†¦show more content†¦Once the audience is aware of these two pieces of information they can infer that the allegory Hawthorne is writing about is how he sees faith transitioning from a young faith to a n adult faith of a Puritan. Brown in the beginning of the story is a â€Å"young† Puritan with young faith, but by the end of the story he has changed into an adult and does not know if he has faith anymore. Although Brown’s faith is questionable the books states that he continues to pray and go to church (Hawthorne 337), which would be considered hypocritical to some. If Brown’s name is exchanged with Hawthorne’s the readers can see why he saw the Puritans hypocritical and why he left his faith. Notably Faith, the protagonist’s wife, plays a huge role as an allegory and a symbol throughout Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown.† In this story Faith’s name plays as an allegory. At first this could easily be missed because it sounds like a common name for a woman, but once the readers get further into the story they realize that her name plays an enormous role in the story’s plot. Faith’s name symbolizes Brow n’s faith in God. In the story when Brown meets the man in the forest the man says, â€Å"You are late Goodman Brown,† and Brown replies, â€Å"Faith kept me back awhile† (Hawthorne 330). At this point of the story the audience knows forShow MoreRelatedShort Story Analysis: Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne851 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿Young Goodman Brown, by Nathaniel Hawthorne Introduction Hawthornes short story Young Goodman Brown is a tale of innocence lost. Set in New England during the Puritan era, the protagonist, Goodman Brown, goes for a walk in the woods one night and meets the devil who tells him. Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness. Welcome again, to the communion of your race. According to Levin this story is a condemnation of the hypocrisy of the puritan ethic. The Salem witch trialsRead More Essay on Symbols, Symbolism, and Allegory in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown726 Words   |  3 PagesSymbols, Symbolism, and Allegory in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Symbolism is a literary technique that is used to clarify the authors intent. Sometimes it is used to great effect, while other times it only seems to muddle the meaning of a passage. In Young Goodman Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses objects and people as symbols to allegorically reveal his message to the reader. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses different people as symbols throughout Young Goodman Brown. The largest symbolicRead MoreThe Writings Of Nathaniel Hawthorne And Flannery O Connor1022 Words   |  5 Pagesthem. Authors like Nathaniel Hawthorne and Flannery O’Connor, writings often include many allegories and symbols to religious faiths. Nathaniel Hawthorne comes from a bloodline that is associated with the Salem witch trials in 1692. 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