Nathaniel Hawthorne was obsessed with the themes of sin and guilt. In his short story "Young Goodman Brown," the main character Goodman Brown goes off into the woods and undergoes what will be a life-changing experience. "Young Goodman Brown" was written in the nineteenth century but is undoubtedly set in the seventeenth century, and for the early Americans in this time period, the forest was a symbol of strength, courage, and endurance. It took a lot of courage to survive there, and the young person entering the forest would not emerge the same. But the story is more symbolic than realistic, and the dangers that Goodman Brown encounters in the forest are not Indians or bears; they are dangers of the spirit. Instead of bravely battling down the dangers of the forest and emerging a more mature person, Goodman Brown emerges a ruined man.
It should not go unrecognized that Goodman Brown's wife, a light-hearted, genuine woman, has the name Faith. Faith is not by any means an unusual name for a woman, especially in Puritan times, but it becomes significant in the story because she is presented to us first as a very young bride with pink ribbons in her hair, almost like a child. Her pink ribbons symbolize her youth, and her name symbolizes her husband's childlike spirituality at the beginning of the story. When the story opens, we see Faith characterized by childlike confidence and purity, which can be contrasted with the man with the snake-like staff, who attempts to persuade Goodman Brown. Faith does not attempt to persuade her husband out of his intentions through reason, but through affection; she asks Goodman Brown not to go into the forest on his mysterious errand. Hawthorne never tells us, but clearly Goodman Brown has planned for whatever it is. He knows that the point of the journey is less than beneficial, because he feels guilty about leaving his wife. Goodman Brown knows who he is going to meet there. When he meets the man with the snake-like staff,...