Young Goodman Brown the Short

Young Goodman Brown

The short story "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne consists of a multitude of themes and symbolism that demonstrate the main theme of loss of faith, or the weakness of humanity to commit immorality. Primarily illustrated in the story was the usage of nature as an important setting that witnessed the loss of faith of Goodman, the protagonist of the story.

Nature as a symbol in the short story is used as a reflection of Goodman's moral state in the story. Nature was used as a replica and mirror of the self, the state of the individual that is best illustrated through the state of nature. While life's beauty is reflected in the image of a bountiful and orderly nature, the loss of meaning in life is mirrored in the image of the wilderness. The wilderness is the state of nature that remained uncultivated and unexplored -- the wilderness in the life context, in effect, is the 'other self,' the self where the individual's innermost thoughts, feelings, and desires are found. Being in a state of wilderness is experiencing a loss of one's sense of direction, stumbling upon and discovering his/her 'other self' -- more meaningful, deeper, yet is the core of his/her true self.

This was the context by which Goodman found himself -- initially, he was in a state of calm and determination, as he sought to find the evil in the forest. However, as he became confused and lost in the wilderness, he lost his way, which was the symbolic determination of his loss of faith. In fact, his loss of faith was further demonstrated by the actual loss of his wife, Faith. It was this lost sense of direction in the forest and the corresponding loss of his wife Faith that led Goodman to eventually live a life devoid of the faith and morality that he initially had before entering the forest.

Goodman's internal conflict was brought about by his realization that he was vulnerable and can easily succumb to the temptations of the devil. Being in the wilderness did not help Goodman prevent this conflict from happening within him, since the wilderness was obviously not a part of society but of nature, therefore, the wilderness only follows the laws of nature and not the laws of humanity. The wilderness acted as the agent that opened Goodman's mind to the true feelings hidden within his heart -- that Goodman is not the faithful individual known in his community, but is actually the person who questions whether he is indeed faithful to God.