Allegory In Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown

Young Goodman Brown Young Goodman Brown, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne was a story with many hidden messages. In this story a man named Young Goodman Brown ventures on a journey into a dark forest. Throughout his journey he meets the devil and see’s the true reality of the people around him including his wife Faith. Many critics have argued the true meaning of Young Goodman Brown. In the first article, Allegory and symbolism in Hawthorne 's Young Goodman Brown, Zhu Xian-chun argues the true meaning of the names of the characters, the forest, the pink ribbons, and the forest journey itself. He explains the deep hidden messages in each of those topics. In the second article, Lachrymal imagery in Hawthorne 's Young Goodman Brown, Easterley, Joan Elizabeth argues the maturity of Young Goodman Brown, from his lack of compassion and …show more content…
The author argues, when Goodman Brown screams “my Faith is gone!” not even a tear comes down from his eyes. This was represented by Hawthorne when he wrote "the coldest dew" on his cheek to represent the absence of tears (Hawthorne 1146). Joan Elizabeth argued the maturity of Goodman Brown, that the lack of tears suggests “failed critical test of moral and spiritual maturity” (Easterley). She believed that after he realized his faith was gone, he did not shed a tear, thus symbolizing his failure to achieve adulthood. She made a big point on a hanging twig that sprinkles the drops of water on Goodman Brown 's face. She believes it represents the same liquid that the devil was going to baptize Faith and Goodman brown with, but instead when the meeting is interrupted it stands for a baptism of some sort. Her main point of the article was to prove that Brown had no compassion and remorse for anything. She believed he did not truly care for the people around him and that he was a very sad