Young Goodman Brown :: Literary Analysis, Hawthorne

In the news report Young Good art object Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses a dream to illustrate a immature mans loss of innocence, understanding of religion and his community. Through this dream, the important character Young Goodman realizes that the people that he surrounds himself with ar not who he believes them to be. The story of Young Goodman Brown focuses on the unconscious mind. The characters in this short-story are able to compensate the struggle of Young Goodmans superego, ego, and id. Representing the superego is Young Goodmans wife Faith. Her physique becomes a multi-layered metaphor. Hawthorne writes, And Faith, as the wife was aptly named, lagger her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pinkish ribbons on her caps while she called to Goodman Brown (Kelly, 190). This statement suggests that Browns wifes name is symbolic. Faith is condensed to represent innocence, the Puritan religion and Browns consciousness. Since, issue girls are of ten equated with pink. The pink ribbons in her hair serve to stage her innocence. When Brown meets the man in the woods he says, Faith unbroken me back awhile (Kelly, 191). In this case Faith represents the Puritan religion.The conterminous character is Young Goodman Brown himself. His name also becomes a multilayered metaphor. universe known as young represents Goodman Browns innocence and virtue. He is also condensed to represent his own consciousness. But, by leaving his wife, Faith, Young Goodman Brown is giving into the unconscious. He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which yet stood aside to let the narrow path creep through, and closed promptly behind (Kelly, 191). Taking this path that closes behind him represents Young Goodmans decent into the unconscious and his loss of innocence. On this journey he soon meets a man who is a condensation of several different factors. The man represents the devil, as well as Brown unconsciou s mind. The next character is the man who Brown meets up with in the woods. This man is expound as, one who knew the world, and who would not have felt abashed at the governors dinner table or in King Williams court (Kelly, 191). This man can be seen as the devil. He possesses features that illustrate him as the devil. For example his walking staff is described as having the wish wellness of a great black snake, so interrogatively wrought that it might almost be seen to twist and wriggle itself like a living serpent (Kelly, 191-192).