How is Young Goodman Brown’s Wife an Allegorical Figure
Young Goodman Brown is a notable literary work by Nathaniel Hawthorne. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, to various questions of Young Goodman Brown.
Answer
How is Young Goodman Brown’s wife an allegorical figure in terms of her name? How does she try to stop his husband from taking the journey on that journey?
Goodman Brown’s wife, Faith, is an essential allegorical figure in the story “Young Goodman Brown” (1835), written by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864). Her name itself symbolizes Christian faith and innocence. The story shows how her name and actions reflect deeper meanings in Goodman Brown’s journey.
Faith as a Symbol of Belief: Faith’s name is not only a name. It represents true religious beliefs and moral values. When Goodman Brown leaves her, he also symbolically leaves his faith and goodness behind. Her pink ribbons stand for purity and innocence. The narrator says,
And Faith, as the wife was aptly named…
This refers to the fact that she represents more than just a character—she stands for spiritual faith.
Her Attempt to Stop Goodman Brown: Before Goodman Brown leaves, Faith tries to stop him. She asks him to stay home and says,
Pray tarry with me this night, dear husband.
Her request reflects the voice of his conscience. It provokes him to stay on the path of righteousness. However, Goodman Brown ignores her, which is his first step toward losing his faith.
The Impact of Her Absence: As Goodman Brown goes deeper into the forest, he feels more distant from Faith and his religious beliefs. When he finds a pink ribbon in the forest, he says,
My Faith is gone!
This line indicates both his wife’s involvement in the devil’s ceremony and his spiritual downfall.
In short, Faith is more than just a character. She is the symbol of goodness and religious belief. Her name, actions, and symbols portray how quickly faith can be lost. This happens when someone chooses the path of darkness and temptation.