Young Goodman Brown, a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is surrounded by the historical context of Puritan New England. Even though the historical events are not central to the literary work, they significantly define the main themes and issues addressed by the author. Young Goodman Brown tells a story of a Puritan man whose beliefs in goodness and social morality are easily undermined as he witnesses his fellow townspeople turn to evil. Thus, Hawthorne raises several themes, such as the good versus the bad, morality versus temptation, and faith versus guilt. The motif of good and evil is emphasized by charactonyms and the devils figure, which embodies the dark side of human nature. Goodman and his pure-hearted wife Faith are opposed to Satan, who wishes to bring out the worst in all people. At the beginning of the short story, Brown represents innocence and piousness as he tells his wife to pray and go to bed early to avoid any harm while he is away. Th
roughout the story, the man discovers that many of those appearing religious and righteous, in fact, have connections with Satan. At this point, the author touches upon another important theme: morality and temptation. The more respectable people turn to the devil, the weaker Goodmans sense of morality and the stronger his temptation are. Finally, the motifs of faith versus guilt are woven into Hawthornes story as the protagonist is torn between staying loyal to God for Faiths sake or siding with the devil. As Goodman witnesses his wife in her cap with pink ribbons to attend the unholy meeting in the forest, his doubts are dispelled, and the man gives in to the evil. Faith, her pink ribbons, and the gloomy forest create vivid images in readers minds. Overall, the short story applies allegory and numerous symbols to reveal the central motifs. Hawthorne uses forest setting, the name Faith, and pink color as symbols to support the theme of Young Goodman Brown.