Young Goodman Brown and Other Hawthorne Short Stories Lesson Plan

Is there anything symbolic about Faith's name?

At the beginning of the story, Young Goodman Brown has faith in his religion and in the world and the people around him- especially in his wife, whose name is Faith. Faith, his wife, tries to convince him not to take this journey into the woods. This could be a symbol of his own faith pressing on him not to go down the road he is about to go down. Ultimately, the turning point that turns Young Goodman Brown into a bitter cynic is seeing Faith in the woods with him, whether that sighting is real or imagined. At that point, he loses his own faith, seeing that Faith seems to be about to lose hers, as well.

Do you think...