Discussion Topic
The allegorical significance of Goodman Brown's wife, Faith, in "Young Goodman Brown."
Summary:
In "Young Goodman Brown," Goodman Brown's wife, Faith, symbolizes his own faith and religious conviction. Her name itself is an allegory for Brown's spiritual faith, which he struggles with throughout the story. Her presence and the moments he doubts her fidelity parallel his wavering faith in humanity and religion.
In "Young Goodman Brown," why is Goodman Brown's wife named "Faith" significant?
Brown's wife having been named Faith is very significant since Hawthorne's story has been classified as an allegory of man's loss of faith. As an allegory "Young Goodman Brown" represents abstract concepts such as faith, innocence, or evil. The settings, objects, and characters in this allegory stand for ideas or qualities beyond themselves.
Faith, Goodman Brown's wife, for instance, represents innocence. Brown in his sanctimonious complacency believes himself one of the "elect" of the Puritan community, able to walk with the devil spiritually unscathed. Of course, on this night he literally and figuratively leaves Faith.
Once Goodman accompanies the devilish old man who resembles his grandfather into the foreboding forest where Goodman witnesses the Black Mass attended by his former catechism teacher and the deacon of the church, Brown discovers that his wife is one of the proselytes at this Satanic service. That Faith is lost to the devil in this...
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scene is symbolic of Brown's having abandoned his own faith. For, after
this dream of evil omen...A stern, a sad, adarly meditative, a distrustful, if not a desperate man did he become from the night of that fearful dream.
At the Black mass the devil tells the proselytes that virtue is a dream:
Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness. welcome again, my children, to the communion of your race.
After leaving his wife and his Faith, Goodman Brown felt a loathful brotherhood by the sympahy of all that was wicked in his heart.
Ironically, Faith remains constant. With her innocent pink ribbons still intact, she runs
bursting into such joy at the sight of him that she skipped along the street and almost kissed her hausband before the whole village.
But, Brown who has lost all faith, believes only in the depravity of man who is hopelessly damned, and "his dying hour was gloom."
In "Young Goodman Brown," how is Brown's wife, Faith, allegorical?
In the story, Brown (a "good man") goes into the woods at night on a mysterious errand. His journey is literal and allegorical. He meets a man who resembles an older version of himself, but also resembles the devil. He embarks on this journey to resist the devil's temptations; in doing so, he will try to resist becoming a sinner, like the devil himself. This is why it's fitting that the devil resembles Brown as an older man. Brown is there to resist becoming a sinner as he progresses through his life.
In embarking on this journey, Brown will test his faith in himself and in his community. Brown literally leaves his wife, Faith, to test himself in this way. Brown allegorically leaves his faith in confronting the potential evil in himself and in his fellow townspeople. The question becomes: can he leave his faith (be tempted, witness and/or take part in evil) but then come back to his faith/Faith?
Brown is dismayed when he discovers that the most ethical members of his community are consorting with the devil. He learns that they sin. He is completely distraught to find his wife, Faith, at the devil's meeting. Before he can see if Faith has accepted the invitation to embrace sin, he finds himself alone in the woods. He walks back into town and ignores Faith even though she is overjoyed to see him. He had abandoned Faith by leaving her. As a result of his journey, he has lost his religious faith. He has lost his faith that others can be moral and righteous Christians. When he returns, he cannot embrace his Faith (wife) or his faith (religious conviction that people are inherently good). His conclusion is that if they are all sinners, then so is Faith. He grows old in gloom because he has lost faith in humanity.