Young Goodman Brown as an Allegory

Answer

What is an allegory? Evaluate ‘Young Goodman Brown’ as an allegory. or, Find out the allegorical elements of this short story. 

An allegory is a story told in the guise of another story. “Young Goodman Brown” (1835) by eminent American author Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) explores the struggle between good and evil in human nature. The story also represents a secret society where the Devil is worshipped. It has sundry allegorical elements.

Definition of Allegory: The word allegory comes from the Latin word “allegoria,” meaning ‘veiled language.’ According to the Cambridge Dictionary, “Allegory is a story, play, poem, picture, or other work in which the characters and events represent qualities or ideas that relate to morals, religion, or politics.”

Allegorical Characters, Objects, and Settings: In “Young Goodman Brown,” all characters and elements have allegorical meanings. Goodman Brown symbolizes humanity’s tendency toward evil. Faith represents true Christian virtue. Their marriage symbolizes Brown’s commitment to goodness. It emphasizes the struggle between inherent evil and faith. The pink ribbon of Faith’s hair serves as a symbol of heavenly faith, innocence, and virtue. Later in the story, when Brown meets the Devil, he declares:

Faith kept me back awhile.

Hawthorne shows Brown hesitating at the door to kiss his wife. This action symbolizes Brown’s hesitation to fully surrender to evil. His journey into the woods suggests something ominous or bad.

Men’s Inherent Predilection to the Devil: In “Young Goodman Brown,” Hawthorne shows that sin is inherited from Adam and Eve. Goodman Brown’s journey with the Devil through the forest symbolizes this inherited sin. The older man, who looks like Goodman, represents his family’s connection to evil. It indicates how sin passes down through generations. Brown says about Elder Brown:

But the only thing about him, that could be fixed upon as remarkable, was his staff,…………….that it might almost be seen to twist and wriggle itself like a living serpent.

The elder’s staff, turning into a serpent, mocks Moses. Hawthorne uses this to show religious figures in a negative, devilish light.

Allegory of the Fight against the Devil: In the middle of the journey, Goodman Brown hesitates to follow the elder man. This shows that people want to be good but struggle because the Devil is clever and tricks them. Goodman Brown thinks of his ancestors as good Christians, but the elder man says he helped them do evil. When Goodman Brown sees Goody Cloyse, he is shocked to find her as a witch. She taught him about Christianity. He says,

A marvel, truly, that Goody Cloyse should be so far in the wilderness at nightfall,

Feeling torn, Goodman Brown decides to return to his wife, Faith. This moment shows his fight to resist the Devil and stay true to his beliefs.

Loss of Faith and Ultimate Submission to the Devil: In “Young Goodman Brown,” the story shows that weak belief cannot fight against evil and loses in the end. When Goodman Brown accepts the maple staff, it symbolizes him starting to accept evil. He becomes more confused when he sees good men like the Minister and Deacon Gookin as evil. The pink ribbon he catches from the sky symbolizes his wife Faith turning to evil. It also symbolizes his loss of faith in goodness. Faith here is like Eve, who caused Adam to lose his innocence. Devil utters in the forest ceremony,

Now ye are undeceived! Evil is the nature of mankind Evil must be your only happiness. Welcome, again, my children, to the communion of your race.

This shows how Goodman Brown’s weak belief leads him to despair and darkness.

In a few words, “Young Goodman Brown” is an allegory that shows how good and evil exist in everyone. The allegorical elements are Goodman Brown’s journey, Faith, the Devil’s staff, the forest, the forest ceremony, and the return to Salem. This is a story about a secret society.