YGB – Writing Style

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writing style for Young Goodman Brown encompasses many aspects, especially allegory, symbolism, point of view, and foreshadowing. Themes of Young Goodman Brown will also be discussed here, and much of the information gathered comes from an analysis of Young Goodman Brown by Kathleen Wilson (1997).

Writing Style

Allegory: Behind the story, Young Goodman Brown is an allegory of humanity’s imperfection. According to Wilson, ‘Goodman’ was a title meaning a gentleman; this, in effect, means that Brown eventual realization of humanity’s sin is not only an epiphany for him, but also for the world. In addition, Faith, Brown’s wife, represents his faith in humanity which changes as the story progresses. In the beginning, Brown is delayed to his meeting with the devil because “Faith kept me back” (DiYanni, 2008, 554). Later, when Brown realizes that his wife has sinned, he cries out that his “Faith is gone” (DiYanni, 558). The dark woods in which most of the story takes place also act as a container for the allegory, being a representation of Brown’s own dark mind.

Symbolism: Symbolism is abundant in most of Hawthorne’s works, and Young Goodman Brown is no exception. One of the more notable symbols in YGB is Faith’s pink hair ribbons. It is speculated that these ribbons represent Faith’s innocence, and when Brown sees them falling from the sky into the dark woods, he realizes that her innocence has fallen and she has sinned. Another symbol is the devil’s serpent-like staff which is symbolic of the serpent form the devil took to corrupt Adam and Eve in the Bible. In this same way, the devil is corrupting Brown and everyone he knows.

Point of View: The point of view from which YGB is told does not remain constant throughout the story’s duration, but actually changes from third person limited to objective. At the beginning of the story, the reader often hears about Brown and his personal thoughts while being excluded from the thoughts of others such as the devil. Later on, the point of view begins to take a more objective nature as it follows Brown’s descent into sin, characterized by passages such as “there could be nothing more frightful than the figure of Goodman Brown” (DiYanni 559). By the end of the story, not only Brown but all of his neighbors and family as well are discussed in equal detail, completing the transition to a fully objective point of view. Wilson suggests that this shift from Brown’s point of view to the worlds represents Brown’s loss of faith.

Foreshadowing: Hawthorne uses foreshadowing in YGB to help build suspense for the eventual climax. As Brown is leaving his wife to meet with the devil, Brown reassures himself “I’ll cling to [Faith’s] skirts and follow her to Heaven” (DiYanni 554). This passage is later brought to mind when Brown learns of Faith’s fall and instead of following her, is ever weary of her presence. Additionally, Brown sets himself up for the later realization of humanity’s universal sin when he refutes the devil by saying, “My father never went into the woods on such an errand, nor his father before him” (DiYanni 555). The dramatic irony behind this passage is almost unbearable.

Theme

Guilt vs. Innocence: Prior to his sally through the dark woods, Goodman Brown laments the “[sinful] work [that] is to be done tonight” while comforting himself that “[Faith’s] a blessed angel on earth” (DiYanni 554). Brown’s guilt is clearly contrasted by Faith’s innocence, although this innocence is later proven false through the devil’s misdoings.

Alienation vs. Community: The start of Young Goodman Brown sees Brown as a happy individual within his community, while the end of the story shows him to be a bitter old man who has secluded himself from any personal contact. This contrast, however, does lean towards the moral that community is good because it is only after Brown learns the truth that he becomes secluded. Wilson points out that Hawthorne, an isolationist himself, was trying to demonstrate humans’ naturally exclusive nature.

Good vs. Evil: More than anything else, Young Goodman Brown clearly presents a theme between good and evil. On one side of the moral spectrum is the devil, whom is pure evil, followed by Brown who is somewhat in the middle between good and bad. On the pure end is Brown’s wife, Faith, who is originally thought to be the pinnacle of moral perfection. By story’s end, humanity’s inescapable sin is realized. However, there are still a few of responses to this knowledge; Faith accepts this fact and lives a happy life, while Brown remains forever bitter and dies a gloomy death.