Nathaniel Hawthrone composed gloomy short story called Young Goodman Brown

in 1835, which was in the romantic movement period. It is the story about Young Goodman
Brown leaves his wife, Faith, and sets off his journey to a forest. On the way, he meets with
the man who has black snake-liked staff and travel together for a while. From this, he is
shocked to discover the fact that the man knows many people including the deacons and his
family well and helps them with acts of cruelty, and his father and grandfather once walked
into the forest like him. He is even more shocked to see Goody Cloyse who taught him
catechism makes a contact with the man. After that, he refuses to continue his journey with
the man. On his journey back, he recognizes the voice of the minister and Deacon Gookin
discussed deviltry, which makes him feel even more shocked; but yet still stands against the
devil. However, he is extremely shocked to hear his wifes voice and her pink ribbon and
starts to call for the evil. Soon, he recognizes that the scene is changing and fills with various
villagers including Deacon Gookin and other people who are famous for their sanctity. They
are preparing for the rite in converting the person to become evil. He is very shocked to see
that that person is Faith and tries to beg her to resist from this. When he becomes conscious
again, it is the next morning and he realizes everything happened last night is just like a
dream. However, it makes him start to distrust everyone around him and dies unhappy even
he lives long.
In the short story, Hawthrone makes use of allegory to show the loss of innocence and
faith. Goodman Brown represents people in the society especially kids who still do not know
much about the dark side of the world and believe in the righteousness and virtues. As a kid,
people believe that the society is purified and people commit only good sins. Also, they
believe that bad sin is not tolerated and unacceptable in the society. However, as they grow
up, they realize that their societies are different from what they thought like what Goodman
Brown found out in his journey to the forest. The forest that Goodman Brown enter
represents the growth of people that made them start to recognize evil thing around them;
He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest. (Hawthrone,
1835) The gloomiest of the forest represents the evil and the dark side of the society. The
more he enters the forest, the more the evils are present toward him. This is the process of
growing up that the more people grow up, the more they learn about the society around them
that are full of evil. This makes them start to lose their faith in morality like in the case of
young Goodman Brown. Other two prominent allegories in the story are the evil and the
faith in the virtue and righteousness, which are personified into the characters. The man
whom he met in the forest with his snake-like staff represents the evil or the negative side
of the society. He consistently tries to convince Goodman Brown to join him; I have been as
well acquainted with your family as with ever a one among the Puritans, and that's no trifle to
say. I helped your grandfather, the constable when he lashed the Quaker woman so smartly
through the streets of Salem. And it was I that brought your father a pitch-pine knot, kindled
at my own hearth, to set fire to an Indian village, in King Philip's War. (Hawthrone, 1835).
He is like the negative side of the society, who tries to convince him to join by giving him the
reason that those actions are justified. He tries to show that most of the people including his
own father and grandfather are receiving help from him in commit crimes. This strikes
Goodman Brown as he realized that society is different than what he knows, contrasting with
his belief that villagers have very appropriate manner. Although at that time he may seem to
be certain about the right and virtue, it is like the crack that makes him start to the world and
people around him are evil as it is one of human nature, and began to lose his faith and
innocence. Another allegory is his wife named Faith. She represents the faiths of people in
virtue and right. At first, before he embarks on his journey, he has a slight moment where he
hesitates to leave his wife or not. This represents the faith of human that holds them back
from entering or encountering with evil. However, like the human nature that fills with
curiosity in acquiring new experience, he eventually enters the forest, where he meets with
the man. At first, he is certain with his belief, and tells the man that he cannot leaves Faith.
However, on his way back when he hears Faiths voice and sees her pink ribbon, he loses all
his hopes; My Faith is gone!. (Hawthrone, 1835). This shows that his faith in the right and
virtue is all gone. Pink ribbon of Faith can represent the purity of him, and the act of it falling
from the sky represent the downfall of his faith in purity like his innocence that is losing.
This even intensifies when his wife enters the converted rite for evil, which he tries to beg her
so hard to resist. The act of begging his wife is like the mental states when people try to resist
to acknowledge the truth of the society. They try to hold back their faith as much as they
can, whilst the reality they are already broken by the evil in the society. This can be seen
that when he wakes up in the morning, he loses his faith and innocence and starts to become
more aware of the actions of people around them.
If we were to watch the story from the different point of view, we might be able to
find out that the world around him is evil since the beginning of the story, and Faith is part
of them. Faith always tries to hide this fact from her husband for a long time. Now lets see
the story from the point of view of Faith.
Faith always hides one secret from Goodman Brown. She always wants to be part of
the evil society. The evil society always bring people fame, respect and happiness, which
she wants from people around her. She always needs to stay at home, and often view as
inferior in the society. In order to join the society, there is one rule that is needed to be
accomplished to become the member of the society; she needs to show the innocent person
the dark side of the society. At first, she is very uncertain on how she can do it. People
around her already became the part of the evil society, hence she is left with the only choice:
her husband. However, that is actually really tough as her husband was purely innocent and
purified. As time has passed, she begins to give up on this idea. Fortunately, on one particular
day, her husband speaks to her about his idea of the journey to the forest. The forest for their
society is in the ways that are full of evil. The glittering appears on her eyes. This is the
great chance to show him the dark side of the society. She tries to cover her excitement and
tries to express the concern about his journey, convincing him not to travel on the night. Her
heart is pondering with excitement. On that night, when her husband fell as sleep, she heads
to the forest to see the man, who is the head of the evil society. She offers him her husband
for her acceptance into the society. He agrees with that offer.
Finally, the night that her husband will travel to the forest has come, and her heart
was pounding with excitement. In the slight moment, she hesitates about it. Is this the right
decision that she should make? However, she waits for this for a long time and this will be
the only chance for her to have a chance in joining the evil society that will bring her respect
and happiness. Hence, she neglects all of the feelings that will hold her back. When her
husband embarks on the journey to the forest, she quickly follows behind him to make sure
that everything goes as she plans. Everything in the plan goes really well and smooth. Her
husband is startled with the fact and is really shocked to see her presence in the forest that
shows him her association with evil society.
My Faith is gone! shouted her husband. She has now accomplished the requirement
and the offers, and now she is going to be the part of society. However, she does not feel
happy as she expected. She rather feels painful to see her husband suffering Seeing her love
one suffering makes her realize what she does is incredibly wrong. What is the point of being
famous and well-respected if she is the one who breaks down people whom she loves and
destroys his happiness? Im so sorry Goodman. I should never do this to you, mumbled her
to her own self. She begins to run toward the husband, wanting to comfort him and tells him
that this is not real and it is just nightmare. However, somebody grasps her from behind. It is
the man.
 I want to turn down the offer, said Faith in a voice of desperation and pain. She tries
her hardest to beg him. No, the offer has to be as it is, or else you might not see your
husband forever, replied the man. No! No! Please do not anything to him. I will join you,
but please leave him alone, replied Faith. Her heart sinks. She walks into the rite with the
man. Her husband runs toward her and tries to stop her from that. Seeing his face covered
with the expression of distress and agony, she is on the verge of tears. He tries to hold her
back and tells her to look up to the heaven. However, she has no choice but to continue the
rite. Seeing her husband falling down from the shock, she feels even more guilty and regrets
her decision. Im sorry Goodman, my beloved husband. However, it is already too late. He
already loses conscious. Her tears are streaming down her face. Her body is now thrown into
the water that will fully convert her into the evil. I wish you think this is just a dream!