Young Goodman Brown Essay
In the short story by Hawthorne, it is worth depicting that the name “Faith” has a significant value towards the development of thematic concerns in the story. It is plausible to assume that the author uses the name faith to expound on the irony and contrasts that exist in society. Therefore, the name “Faith” is used to build on the difference that exists between the appearance of individuals in society and their real identities. Hence, it brought through Faith, Goodman’s wife. In the whole story, Goodman’s main reason to avert from using the walking stick is the belief that Faith would not attend the ceremony. Moreover, he believed in God and expected that he would return the following day to his wife (Hawthorne, 2012). However, when Goodman notices that Faith is going to the evil forest ceremony, he decides to attend too. The two are summoned, and Faith seems to lack faith in God. Even though his husband, Brown, believes and has faith in God. It thus, reveals the irony that exists in the name “Faith.”
The concept of Faith indicates the author’s objective to establish the difference in the true identities between the names. The irony is found through Faith lacking faith in God and believing in the religion of the devil. The concept brought out by faith is established through Brown’s constant reference to faith within the short story. In this case, Goodman’s trust and belief in God are developed through the urge to return to her wife, Faith. Moreover, Brown trusts that her wife cannot attend to the devil’s evil ceremony. In the end, a contrary perception is developed between the concepts brought out by name Faith. She attends the ceremony and fails to have faith in God, creating the paradox within the story.
Hawthorne, N. (2012). Young Goodman Brown. Simon and Schuster.