Innocence Lost to Puritanism? To truly understand the themes of "Young Goodman Brown" you must first understand the influences on Nathaniel Hawthorne's writing. According to the website Hawthorneinsalem.org, Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts, also the son of a Nathaniel Hawthorne, he was actually a descendant of John Hathorne, one of the judges who oversaw the Salem witch trials. Due to Hawthorne's Puritan upbringing, much of the writings are moral allegories set in colonial New England. Hawthorne returns to Salem again in "Young Goodman Brown" and addresses the theme of the loss of innocence. This theme works to discuss the benefits and consequences of Goodman Brown's beliefs before and after his encounter with the devil, as well as the beliefs of the Puritans as a whole. A central theme of the loss of innocence can be found throughout the story. the first two characters introduced both seem as innocent as possible. Take the name Young Goodman Brown for example; innocence is associated with the word "young" as well as the word "good." Hawthorne uses these words to give Brown a naïve character, much like most young Puritans of his time. His new wife, Faith, symbolizes the faith he holds onto in his life. Hawthorne must also have used his name as a symbol not only for Brown but for all Puritans. Puritans blindly cling to faith hoping to be the chosen ones to enter heaven. The pink color of the ribbon she wears is a color associated with the innocence and purity of childhood. Young, innocent, and pure are all the things Brown thinks of as his wife at the beginning of the story. After we are introduced to the first characters, Brown heads into the forest where he will eventually learn the truth of things and in doing so lose his innocence. Once, during his journey into the forest, Hawthorne writes: "He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which scarcely stepped aside to let the narrow path pass, and closed immediately behind" ( 148). Brown is venturing into the unknown; the path closing behind him symbolizes the fact that there is no turning back once he has lost his innocence. Once on a journey with the devil, Brown learns of his father and grandfather's affiliation with him. Once honest people in Brown's eyes, these men now become a symbol of how evil he actually is.