Does the character Faith really bear faith? Discuss.

Answer

Does the character Faith really bear faith? Discuss. [NU: 2015, 20, 22] ★★★

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s (1804-1864) “Young Goodman Brown” (1835) is a symbolic story. The name “Faith” carries double meaning. She is Goodman Brown’s wife. But she also stands for spiritual belief. The story shows how losing Faith means losing both wife and religious faith.

Faith as a Loving Wife: Faith is first shown as a gentle wife. She wears pink ribbons, which stand for innocence and purity. She begs her husband not to go to the forest. She says, 

“Prithee put off your journey until sunrise.” 

This shows her care and love. Faith wants Brown to stay safe at home. Here, she bears real human faith because she wants goodness.

Faith as Symbol of Belief: Faith is more than a wife. She is the symbol of religious belief. When her ribbon falls from the sky, Brown cries, 

“My Faith is gone!” 

This means both his wife is lost and his belief is gone. Faith’s presence or absence decides whether Goodman Brown still trusts God. Thus, she truly bears the meaning of faith.

Faith at the Devil’s Meeting: At the end, Brown sees Faith at the evil meeting. She trembles but stands beside him. The Devil wants to baptize both. Brown shouts, 

“Faith! Faith! Look up to heaven, and resist the wicked one.” 

Here, Faith is still a symbol of hope. But Brown doubts her, and later, he loses trust in her. Whether she really sinned or not, for Brown, she no longer bears true faith.

Faith does bear faith as a wife and as a symbol of belief. But Goodman Brown’s doubt destroys it. Losing Faith means losing love, trust, and religion. Hawthorne shows that without faith, man’s life ends in despair.