Authors often include a wide range of literary devices and techniques to show readers the hidden, underlying messages within their story. For example, authors often use symbols that contain multiple levels of meaning, often hidden at first glance and representative of many other aspects of the story. Likewise, authors also use allegory as a way to suggest hidden meanings through the use of metaphorical examples. Throughout the story, “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author presents Young Goodman Brown as a puritanical and loyal Christian. As the story progresses, Hawthorne demonstrates to the reader the wrong and evil decision made by Young Goodman Brown by using literary devices and techniques, such as allegory and symbolism. In this essay we will discuss some of the hidden symbolism in "Young Goodman Brown" that Hawthorne used, along with symbols such as the faith, the forest, and the stranger's staff, and how each plays a vital role in representing this evil. decision within the story to the reader. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Symbols of Faith, Forest, and Stranger's Staff: Their Meanings Early in the story, we see the use of Faith, Goodman Brown's wife, as a symbol of Hawthorne. We are introduced to young Goodman Brown and his wife Faith, who represent and highlight Goodman Brown's faith and trust in God. Before Goodman Brown leaves for the forest, Faith tries her best to stop him from going due of the vivid dreams he was having. For example, it is stated: ““Dearest heart,” she whispered, softly and rather sadly, when her lips were near his ear, “I pray you, postpone your journey till dawn, and sleep in your bed for.” .. Night. A lonely woman is tormented by such dreams and thoughts, that she is sometimes afraid of herself. Please stay with me tonight, dear husband, of all nights in the year!” This quote highlights Faith's warning to Goodman Brown as he embarks on the journey that will transform him into a completely different person upon his return and represents his desire to go to the forest. This warning from Faith serves as a hidden message within the story because it allows the reader to see where Goodman Brown made his mistake. If Goodman Brown had listened to Faith and her warning, he would have been saved from the series of traumatic events that occurred in the forest. As the story progresses, Goodman Brown sees Faith in the forest converting to his side and loses all his faith and trust in God. He returns to the village completely changed and cannot even look Faith in the eye after the horrors he witnessed in the forest. For example, it is stated: “Often, waking suddenly at midnight, he would withdraw from the bosom of Faith, and in the morning or evening, when the family knelt in prayer, he would frown and mutter to himself, and look sternly his wife. , and walked away. With this quote, we see how, after returning from the forest, Goodman Brown had changed dramatically as a person who once considered religion and faith more important than anything else in his life and how this night that Faith had warned him about had changed his life. Because of these examples, it is evident that Faith serves as a symbol of Goodman Brown's faith and relationship with God and how Faith's dreams serve as a hidden message that highlights why the story can also be seen as an allegory. Aside from Faith, there are many other symbols throughout the story, one of which is the forest.As background information, the Salem witch trail was over and had led to the deaths of around 20 people by the time the story takes place. Young Goodman Brown was a loyal and naive Christian Puritan along with many other members of the community. The Puritans were radical religious leaders who wanted to try to reform their culture, specifically removing practices and ceremonies that were not established in the Bible. With this in mind, the Puritans believed that the forest was where the devil's acts occurred and that they were to be avoided to stay away from the devil and sinful acts. In the story, the forest serves as an attractive and sinful force that manages to win over Goodman Brown and his religious faith. Since Faith had warned him not to go to the forest, he went anyway, but hoped that he would return as the same man, but we readers know this is not true. For example, the text states: “With this excellent resolution for the future, the good man Brown felt justified in hastening more upon his evil purpose… the traveler knows not who might be hidden by the innumerable trunks and thick branches above him; so that, with solitary steps, he can still cross an invisible multitude." With this quote, we see how Goodman Brown ignores Faith's warning and has a sense of urgency to go to the forest to commit sinful acts, but does not consider what awaits him in the forest. Later in the story, we see how this desire to lead into the forest trumps his faith when he returns to the village. For example, it is said: "The next morning, good young man Brown walked slowly into the street of Salem village, looking about him like a bewildered man... Old Deacon Gookin was at home worship, and the holy words of his prayer were heard through the open window. “What God does the wizard pray to?” We see how the forest and its horrors have traumatized Goodman Brown and deprived him of his relationship and connection with God. As these examples are presented in the paragraph, let's see how the forest serves as a symbol to attract Goodman Brown and how the forest grasps his faith and plays with it as the story progresses Another symbol that plays an important role in the story is the stranger's staff When Goodman Brown enters the forest, meets the stranger who carries a walking stick. The stick itself has a snake wrapped around it and in Puritan beliefs, the snake is used as a tool to entice a man to commit sin. The stranger knows the main reasons why Goodman Brown came to the forest, because he is actually a shape-shifter and is the embodiment of the devil in the forest. Along with him, Goody Cloyse, Goodman Brown's religious teacher, was also attending the conversion ceremony and ends up using his staff as a witch's broom to fly there. For example, it is stated: “It can hardly be,” replied her friend. "I cannot spare you my arm, good Cloyse, but here is my staff, if you will"... He had raised his eyes in amazement and lowered his gaze again, behind neither the good Cloyse nor the serpentine staff, but his alone traveling companion, waiting for him with the same calm, as if nothing had happened". This interaction between Goody Cloyse and the Stranger shows how powerful the staff itself is and its ability to change shape. Likewise, when Goodman Brown is sitting in the forest and hears Faith's voice, we again see the power the staff has. For example, it is stated: "And mad with despair, so much so that he laughed loud and long, the good man Brown seized his stick and set off again, at such a speed, that he seemed to fly along the path of the.