The Characters' Allegorical Role in Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown"
The Characters’ Allegorical Role in Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”
1. Introduction
Nathaniel Hawthorne delivers in “Young Goodman Brown” an allegorical depiction of the fall of mankind, the “fall of Adam through the temptation of Eve” (Becker 16). Hawthorne’s realization, the deep and powerful allegorical nature of the story is intense not just because of the action, nor the setting, but because of the well-built, symbolic and accurate characters. With the thoughtful building and the biblically accurate features of the key characters, the allegory is profound and understandable. The main characters, the old man, Goodman Brown and Faith have their own biblical counterparts. The old man appears as the cunning, powerful and canny devil. This resemblance extends on both physical and moral traits: the old man’s appearance and staff, his intentions and moral characteristics portray the devil himself. Goodman Brown serves as the curious, naive and overreaching Eve. The protagonist’s naivety and weakness, the fact that he is willing to visit the forest despite of being aware of the journey’s dire and inevitable ending makes him the story’s Eve. The narrative’s important female character, Faith, solidifies herself as the faithful and stable Adam. Faith’s name, attitude and moral traits, her ability to resist temptation as long as possible, makes her able to be viewed as Adam.
Hawthorne manages to create an emphatic allegory in “Young Goodman Brown” in which he precisely builds up every significant detail of his characters, as they accurately correspond with their biblical counterparts, in order to ultimately achieve his goal, to present the fall of man.
2. The Old Man as the Devil
Hawthorne’s primary elements used to deepen and to emphasize the allegorical nature of the story are the main characters. In “Young Goodman Brown” the fall of man is clearly understandable by the precise portrayal of the old man. His depiction explicitly suggests that
1. Introduction
Nathaniel Hawthorne delivers in “Young Goodman Brown” an allegorical depiction of the fall of mankind, the “fall of Adam through the temptation of Eve” (Becker 16). Hawthorne’s realization, the deep and powerful allegorical nature of the story is intense not just because of the action, nor the setting, but because of the well-built, symbolic and accurate characters. With the thoughtful building and the biblically accurate features of the key characters, the allegory is profound and understandable. The main characters, the old man, Goodman Brown and Faith have their own biblical counterparts. The old man appears as the cunning, powerful and canny devil. This resemblance extends on both physical and moral traits: the old man’s appearance and staff, his intentions and moral characteristics portray the devil himself. Goodman Brown serves as the curious, naive and overreaching Eve. The protagonist’s naivety and weakness, the fact that he is willing to visit the forest despite of being aware of the journey’s dire and inevitable ending makes him the story’s Eve. The narrative’s important female character, Faith, solidifies herself as the faithful and stable Adam. Faith’s name, attitude and moral traits, her ability to resist temptation as long as possible, makes her able to be viewed as Adam.
Hawthorne manages to create an emphatic allegory in “Young Goodman Brown” in which he precisely builds up every significant detail of his characters, as they accurately correspond with their biblical counterparts, in order to ultimately achieve his goal, to present the fall of man.
2. The Old Man as the Devil
Hawthorne’s primary elements used to deepen and to emphasize the allegorical nature of the story are the main characters. In “Young Goodman Brown” the fall of man is clearly understandable by the precise portrayal of the old man. His depiction explicitly suggests that