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