Young Goodman Brown Allegory Analysis

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Good Vs. Evil
An allegory is a short story or work of art that represents another meaning. Many times these allegories are represented through symbolism, which is using the meaning of an object to represent something of a different meaning. A strong example of a good allegory would be, the short story “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In the story, Hawthorne, uses symbols to represent the pure goodness and the vicious evils of the world.
Hawthorne uses symbolism to show the good through people and many different objects. One way this takes place, is through Young Goodman Brown and his wife Faith,s name. In his name, the meaning of young represents that he is young and easy to manipulate, Goodman means that he doesn’t follow the …show more content…
Evil is shown all throughout this story and what the passage tries to say that evil is everywhere and you have to watch for it at all times. The evil in the story is represented by different objects, people, and the way others respond to certain situations. This quote “Friend… having kept covenant by meeting thee here, it is my purpose now to return whence I came. I have scruples, touching the matter thou wot’st of” (15), says that he wouldn’t of came if he wasn’t looking for evil and wasn’t falling in his faith. The word covenant and scruples are words that isn’t said everyday. Covenant means a promise, in the story it is saying that Brown made a deal or promise with the devil. On the other hand scruples means doubt or hesitation, and in this quote it is showing the doubt of Brown and how he’s not sure he want to go through with the evil. Hawthorne also uses a staff “Come, Goodman Brown… this is a dull pace for the beginning of a journey. Take my staff, if you are so weary” (14), he uses the staff to explain that evil cannot enter without acceptance.
The English settlers of seventeenth and eighteenth-century New England were quite familiar with these allegories and often saw their own lives in stark allegorical terms. Throughout this story it is showing you how allegories are still in the world and that most the objects in the world are symbolized. Young Goodman Brown is a story that shows the battle between good and evil, but it
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