Journal #12

Name: Caleb Anderson

Journal #12 - “Young Goodman Brown”

1. “Young Goodman Brown” is an allegory (symbolic narrative). What do the following represent?

Young Goodman Brown –
Goodman Brown represents the Adam from the Bible. Brown starts out believing in what is good and right but after seeing that everyone is full of sin and it is inevitable that sin will conquer us he accepts this and lives the rest of his life in gloom.

Faith –
Faith represents faith and virtue. She is the light that Brown looks to. When Brown sees her in the woods with the others he begins to question her “faith” and he losses the only thing in his life that can believe in.

The Elderly Traveller/Fellow-Traveller –
The traveler is possible the devil. He represents the evil and sin in the world that he rules. He takes Brown and shows him that even the most righteous in the community are under his control because of sin.

Goody Cloyse –
She is the catechism teacher that is depicted as a witch when Brown sees her in the woods. She represents hypocrisy and sin because while she teaches young children about the Bible she also attends devil worshiping meetings in the woods.

The Ceremony –
The Ceremony is the representation of the Fall from the Bible. Both Faith and Brown succumb to the devil and sin. Just like in the Bible Eve or Faith are tempted first, and then they trick their husbands into following.

The Pink Ribbon –
The Pink Ribbon’s represent pureness. Faith wears these ribbons, further showing her purity and virtue. However, when Brown was in the woods he catches a falling pink ribbon symbolizing that even Faith failed to overcome sin.

Young Goodman Brown’s Journey –
Brown’s Journey is the representation of the journey everyone will take in life. At the beginning Brown was like a child believing that all people were good and righteous. However his journey in the woods shows how he matures and sees that people are not so good in actuality. Finally Brown reaches adulthood and realizes that sin is inevitable and even the most righteous will fall to it.


2. Identify the following for “Young Goodman Brown”:

Theme Message of Theme Element Used to Establish

The theme of the story of “Young Goodman Brown” is sin. The message is the sin draws us away from God and that sin is an inevitable process of the human condition. The use of Symbols and Characterize is used to establish the theme.

In addition, provide three direct quotes from the story that address your theme.

“My Faith is gone! Cried he, after one stupefied moment. There is no good on earth: and sin is but a name. Come, devil; for thee is this world given.”
“Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness. Welcome again, my children, to the communion of your race”
“What if a wretched old woman do choose to go to the devil when I thought she was going to heaven”