A Comparison of Symbolism in “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Lottery” Symbolism is when the author uses an object or reference to add deeper meaning to a story. Symbolism in literature can be subtle or blatant; it can also be used sparingly or considerably. An author may repeatedly use the same object to convey deeper meaning or may use variations of the same object to create an overarching mood or feeling. Many authors use symbolism to further foretell and capture the important elements of the story. Both Nathaniel Hawthorne in “Young Goodman Brown" and Shirley Jackson in “The Lottery’, use symbolism in these short stories. The stories both contain symbols describing evil. Hawthorne’s symbolism describes good versus evil, while Jackson's symbolism reflects the evil nature within society as a whole. The first two characters that Hawthorne introduces, Young Goodman Brown and his wife Faith, are both symbolic in their names. Brown's name symbolizes youth and good nature. Brown is a young man throughout the story, and his youth suggests that he has yet to be corrupted by the world and is still innocent. Hawthorne writes, "Faith, as the wife was aptly named, thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons on her cap, while she called to Goodman Brown" (Hawthorne 331). Faith’s name symbolizes the trust and virtue that is found within a good wife. It may also hint at the faith that Young Goodman Brown struggles to hang

Haney 2 onto. As the story goes on, Goodman Brown meets his companion in the woods, he states, "Faith kept me back awhile" (Hawthorne 332). The use of his wife’s name here symbolizes his conscious not allowing him to welcome the evil of his “fellow-traveller” (Hawthorne 332). As he continues on his journey, he looks back at his wife and has a feeling of sadness as he is only able to see her pink ribbons (Hawthorne 332). This maybe symbolic of the doubt he is having with continuing his journey and the mention of only being able to see her pink ribbons place emphasis on the world of good he is leaving as he enters the world of evil. Continuing his journey into the forest, Brown “take[s] a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through, and closed immediately behind" (Hawthorne 332). The dark road that he is taking symbolizes his entrance into evil and the narrowness of the path can be seen as the entrapment of Goodman Brown. The forest closing behind him suggests he may never return to the life he knows. The evil nature within the society is symbolically shown through the title of the story, “The Lottery.” The title symbolizes a barbaric tradition and practice. It also represents real-life lotteries and other forms of gambling that devastate human beings. The black box that the community uses to select the names is symbolic of evil or death. The narrator hints at the black box also being a symbol of outdated tradition, stating “[t]he black box grew shabbier each year; by now it was no longer completely black but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained” (Jackson 121). The condition of the box suggests that the tradition of the lottery is fading. Old Man Warner (the oldest man in town) is symbolic of anyone who hinders change. He calls the residents that want to do away with the lottery a “pack of crazy fools” (Jackson 123). He reminds one of that older person who is always
Haney 3 referring to how things were back in his day. He clings to tradition, even the ones that should no longer be in observation. Old Man Warner symbolizes everything that is wrong with tradition and forces a person to re-consider, in spite of how ridiculous it might be. He is unwilling to let go because “[t]here’s always been a lottery” (Jackson 123) and that is good enough for him. Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves both symbolize authority. Because they are the leaders, the residents follow them; if either Mr. Summers or Mr. Graves would denounce the tradition of the lottery, that would be the end of it, but since they insist on the tradition, the residents follow through as well. Mr. Graves as his name implies can be symbolic of death. He gets the slips of papers together that will send one of the residents to his or her grave. “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Lottery” are full of symbolism. Hawthorne uses both characters and objects to symbolize good versus evil, while Jackson uses characters and objects to display the evil within the society. Symbolism adds depth and meaning to a story. It also adds richness which makes a story more rewarding.

Works Cited
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Young Goodman Brown." Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2008. 331-39. Print.
Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery.” Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2008. 120-25. Print.