In “Young Goodman Brown”, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses different people as symbols. The main symbolic characters in the story are Goodman Brown and his wife Faith. Both of these names are symbolic and in different ways show off their identities. Goodman Brown is honestly a good man but temptation causes him to turn sinful. Faith, his wife, also has a name that is very symbolic. Throughout this story we may see different ways to intrepid each meaning to every character.
Goodman Brown's name symbolizes youth and good nature. Goodman Brown represents human beings confronted with temptation. He wants to enter the dark forest of sin to satisfy his curiosity. The man who meets Brown in the forest appears to represent the devil. “But the only thing about him that could be fixed upon was remarkable, was his staff, which bore the likeness of a great black snake, so curiously wrought, that it might almost be seen to twist and wriggle itself like a living serpent.” [392] Goodman Brown tries to cling to his faith. When Goodman Brown meets his companion in the woods he says, "Faith kept me back awhile" [392]. His good conscious is keeping him from feeding into the evil of his companion. He looks back at Faith as he went on his way which symbolizes his hesitation about continuing on. "So they parted; and the young man pursued his way until, being about to turn the corner by the meeting-house, he looked back and saw the head of Faith still peeping after him with a melancholy air, in spite of her pink ribbons" [391] In his mind she is “a blessed angel on earth” [391] and is justifying his actions, “after this one night, I’ll cling to her skirts and follow her to Heaven.”[391]
Faith’s name alone sticks out when first reading this story. Each time Goodman Brown mentions her name, it is safe to think he is referring to his personal faith in life and God. She is portrayed as youthful and innocent, “Faith, as the wife was aptly named…”[391] Faith is symbolized as all that is good...