Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short stories generally follow a narrow tract of obvious symbolism, indulging itself in overt thematic namings, quotations, and symbolic characters. Hawthorne’s simplistic writing, however, contains implicit observations about gender and social relationships such as marriage, fatherhood, and social expectations of women. “Young Goodman Brown” incorporates ample female presence, offering a wide breadth of interpretative material for a feminist critique. It noticeably deals with the crisis of public morality juxtaposed with private sinfulness under Puritanism, but also commentates upon marriage/familial dynamics and the purity expected of women. Including an array of silent female characters, Hawthorne’s inclusion of women commentates on 18th century femme-morality. While far from a critical feminist, Hawthorne’s writings offer information in their characterizations to the expectations placed upon women in Romantic writing.
“Young Goodman Brown” begins with the titular character’s wife, aptly named Faith, begging for her husband to avoid the dark wood within Salem village. A corrupting influence, the forest marks a place of moral ambiguity where societal expectations give way to primitive, sinful machinations. Faith, unable to prevent the inevitable descent of Goodman Brown into the forest, implores him to “put off your journey until sunrise...A lone woman is troubled with such dreams and such thoughts, that she's afeard of herself, sometimes”. The opening paragraphs of “Young Goodman Brown” offer the only dialogue from his wife, Faith, throughout the entire story. Her symbolic presence of true religious faith comes at a cost to her own character -- Faith is almost intangible in her presence. Her qualities derive primarily from Goodman Brown’s own descriptions of her character and her distinct pink ribbon held in her hair, rather than complex dialogue or conversation. The above excerpt generalizes Faith’s personal anxieties over her husband leaving to those of ‘any lone woman’ demonstrates the universalist expectations hedged upon women generally, not exclusive to Faith. All women possess a sort of innocence, and the husband’s choice to venture into the woods may also corrupt her, as well. Essentially, Hawthorne strips Faith of her own personhood immediately; her emotions derive from her husband’s actions.
Even without explicit description, the reader can expect Faith to fulfill typical 18th century femme idealizations. Faith is youthful, “just three months married,” and heavily dependent on her husband -- almost childlike in her deference. Hawthorne’s focus on Faith’s youth projects ideal virgin characteristic of younger women, and his choice to have her display a fearful demeanor over her husband leaving mirrors that of a child lost without a parental figure. As Goodman Brown leaves, he utters “Poor little Faith...What a wretch am I, to leave her on such an errand,” echoing the childlike dependence expected from her upon his leaving. Her infantile traits and supposed purity manifest as the story’s moral center -- as Goodman Brown leaves Faith, he is also abandoning his moral compass. A perfect woman who supposedly embodies God, Hawthorne sets the audience up to expect Goodman Brown to betray Faith and proliferate the fall of man.
