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Austin Smith Heather Wright English 113 05 October 2013 Losing Faith Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1 0! in Salem" #assachusetts$ He ha% two ancestors lin&e% with the Salem Witch 'rials" an% o(ten wrote about the )uritan Salem o( the 1*00s" an% about +sin" guilt" an% isolation, -15!.$ One o( these writings o( his is title% Young Goodman Brown. 'his stor/ ta&es 0lace in Salem" an% centers aroun% 1oo%man 2rown an% his meeting with +the %e3il$, He struggles with his religious belie(s" as well as his belie(s in his (ellow towns0eo0le$ One thing that Hawthorne inclu%es in this wor& is the abun%ant use o( s/mbolism" some o( which inclu%e his wi(e Faith" her 0in& ribbons" the ol% man in the woo%s" an% the ol% man4s ser0ent5li&e sta(($ 'he stor/ o0ens u0 at sunset with 1oo%man 2rown lea3ing Faith (or the night (or his sel(50roclaime% +6ourne/, -155.$ Faith" in her 0in& ribbons" begs him not to lea3e her alone (or the night" but he sa/s that his 6ourne/ must be ma%e that 3er/ night$ He lea3es Faith an% goes on his 6ourne/ into the gloom/ (orest$ 'here" he meets an ol%er man with a sna&e5li&e sta(($ 'his 6ourne/ he is ma&ing signi(ies his 6ourne/ (rom his )uritan (aith to the %e3il4s e3il$ His wi(e Faith re0resents his religious (aith" an% the ol% man signi(ies the %e3il$ 'he (act that the ol% man s/mboli7es the %e3il is rein(orce% b/ the (act that he carries a sta(( that loo&s li&e a ser0ent" because the ser0ent is a s/mbol o( the %e3il" an% has been since the beginning o( human li(e with the stor/ o( A%am an% E3e" an% e3en 1oo%/ 8lo/se e9claime% +%e3il, when he a00roacher her later on in the stor/ -15:.$

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He begins his wal& with the ol% man -the %e3il. %ee0er into the (orest -unholiness.$ 'he/ come along man/ towns0eo0le that 1oo%man 2rown has much res0ect (or in his communit/; 1oo%/ 8lo/se" <eacon 1oo&in" an% the minister$ All three o( these (igures ha% been +0ious an% e9em0lar/, an% ha% +taught him his catechism in /outh" an% was still his moral an% s0iritual a%3isors, -15:.$ Seeing these 0eo0le so %ee0 in the (orest late at night was con(using (or 1oo%man 2rown" an% he trie% to rationali7e them being there$ He coul% not belie3e that the/ woul% be in3ol3e% in such %ar& a((airs$ He continues on an% a %ar& clou% bloc&s the s&/ abo3e him" an% he hears 3oices coming (rom it$ One o( the 3oices was o( his wi(e Faith$ He shouts out her name" an% he sees her 0in& ribbon (luttering %own (rom the s&/$ He cries out +#/ Faith is gone=, -15>.$ He ran the rest o( his 0ath" an% comes u0on a %emonic ceremon/ being 0er(orme% b/ his (ellow towns0eo0le" some o( whom were honore% in his communit/$ He searches (or Faith" but can not (in% her at (irst$ 'hen the ceremon/ begins an% he an% Faith are brought together$ He is tol% that +e3il is the nature o( man&in%, -1*2.$ He tells (aith to +loo& u0 to the hea3ens an% resist the wic&e% one", but then he awo&e in the calm (orest$ 1oo%man brown goes bac& into his town an% %isco3ers that he is not the same man$ While in the (orest" he ha% lost all (aith$ He lost (aith in 1o% an% holiness" an% he lost (aith in his (ellow towns0eo0le$ He no longer regar%e% the minister" <eacon 1oo&in" or 1oo%/ 8lo/se as res0ectable 0eo0le$ He e3en lost (aith in Faith" his goo% wi(e$ She saw him in the town an% s&i00e% (orwar% bliss(ull/ to meet him" but he + loo&e% sternl/ an% sa%l/ into her (ace" an% 0asse% on without a greeting -1*3.$ 'hroughout Young Goodman Brown" Hawthorne uses s/mbolism to e90ress an o3erall theme$ He %escribes how every man an% woman is challenge% with his or her (aith$ ?t is

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an internal struggle" an% the/ ha3e to be strong enough to be able to rise abo3e it$ ?( the/ are not able to o3ercome the struggle" then the/ will not li3e a ha00/ an% (ul(illing li(e$

Wor&s 8ite% Hawthorne" Nathaniel$ +@oung 1oo%man 2rown$, An Introduction to Literature. E%$ S/l3an 2arnet" William 2urto" William E$ 8ain$ 2oston; Longman" 2011$ 15!51*3$ )rint$