Allegory is a noun which means a symbolic representation or the expression by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions of truths or generalizations about human existence. In the story “Young Goodman Brown”, there are certain items in the story that have symbolization. For example, the pink ribbon, which belongs to Faith, symbolizes the faith of Goodman Brown. According to the story at paragraph 1, “…letting the wind play with the pink ribbons of her cap…,” the ribbon represents his faith is fragile because when the wind blows it, it is easily swayed. Pink also represents innocence and delicacy.
Another symbolization is the traveler’s staff. His staff has the appearance of a twisted living serpent. Serpents are usually shown as dark and evil reptiles. Since the staff is owned by the traveler, it shows that the traveler is the devil. In the story, the traveler is also called the devil, Goody Cloyse exclaimed, “The devil!” when she sees the traveler.
The forest and town also represents evil vs. good. In the story, the ceremony of converting Faith, Goody Cloyse, the minister, and Deacon Gookin to evil took place in the forest. The forest symbolizes dark and fear. As for the town, it represents the good because in the town, Brown sees Deacon Gookin at his domestic worship, the minister taking a walk along the graveyard, Good Cloyse catechising a little girl, and Faith waiting for him in excitement. These are the actions of pureness.
The symbolism allows me to have a deeper understanding of the story. Faith’s pink ribbon helps me understand that at the end, Brown will be stuck between good and evil since the ribbon is weak just like him. Brown wouldn’t be able to decide whether he should still believe the people that he once saw as good, including his dear wife.
In the story, I think Goodman Brown should be responsible for his actions. He didn’t listen to his wife when she asked him not to go on his journey because she is worry that something will happen. If he didn’t go, he would not have experience the whole ceremony which caused him to doubt his wife and everyone else, believing they had turned evil.
