The moral decline of young Goodman BrownThe symbolism of the moral decline of young Goodman Brown bypasses the logical and conscious mind and is placed in a more dreamlike process. It is interpreted to show that no one truly falls into the category of good or evil. Hawthorne's use of symbolism shows the neutrality between good and evil and appearance and reality so that the reader is unable to understand the difference. Throughout the story, good and evil are described through a bombardment of metaphors. Brown's long and winding journey through the forest, for example, represents his struggle between the conscious and the subconscious. Brown meets the devil at a crossroads symbolizing paths to heaven or hell. Obviously with the devil on his side, Brown took the latter. The story begins in the village of Brown. The village is a traditional Puritan background: pure, innocent and God-fearing, which can also illustrate Brown's conscience. Before entering the forest, Brown looks at his wife. As described in the story, Brown sees his wife, Faith, looking at him with her pink ribbons fluttering in her hair. The pink ribbons embody the safety, security, and refuge from the sin that Brown was leaving behind. Brown's statement, "after this night I will cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven" (96), shows his guilty pride as he believes he can sin by virtue of his promise to himself. Leaving the village, he enters the forest which represents his subconscious infested with evil and sinister thoughts. Furthermore, it allegorically represents every man's journey towards knowledge, although knowledge is usually intertwined with evil, like the Tree of Knowledge in the story of Adam and Eve. All people and objects B...... middle of paper...... his faith and morals surrender to material things, mainly to his wife and the people of the town. When the citizens succumb to the devil, Brown's faith and ideals succumb to them as well. However, he himself does not understand that he has abandoned God and has been drawn into the clutches of Satan. Furthermore, Brown's lack of emotion indicates that he followed his mind, where the main conflict of the story lies, instead of his heart. Due to his lack of compassion, he shows no pain for himself. As a result, he faithfully and publicly disengages and distances himself from the community. Works cited and consulted Benoit, Raymond. “‘Young Goodman Brown’: The Second Time.” The Nathaniel Hawthorne Review 19 (Spring 1993): 18-21. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Complete Short Stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Doubleday and Co., Inc.,1959.