The women of the young Goodman Brown, The birthmark and The daughter of Rappaccini In his stories, "The young Goodman Brown", "The birthmark" and "The daughter by Rappaccini" , "Nathaniel Hawthorne uses his female characters to illustrate the folly of demanding perfection in the imperfect world of humanity. Although Hawthorne's women appear to have dangerous aspects, they are sincere of heart and therefore cannot be completely possessed by men. corrupt men who seek to control them. Although each is intrinsically pure, none of these women are entirely free from the accusations made by the men in their lives presents Faith as the ideal new bride. Confident and childlike, she begs her husband not to leave her home alone. He admonishes her for doubting him. There is no reason to conclude that Faith has anything but perfect confidence Goodman Brown. Any such ideas he may have are simply a projection of his own feelings of guilt and shame (Colacurcio 390). Hawthorne never describes faith in terms other than tender and ardent. She is everything Goodman Brown could hope for in a wife. He himself calls her “a blessed angel on earth” (Hawthorne, “Young” 65). However, Hawthorne allows both Goodman Brown and his readers to develop feelings of doubt towards Mrs. Brown by introducing a darker aspect to her character. Coincidentally, but obviously, he inserts Faith's pink hair ribbons into the story. The color pink seems to suggest that Faith is occupying a middle ground between white, which is “completely pure,” and red, which is “blatantly sinful” (McFarland 37). The pink ribbon mysteriously appears deep in the forest, where Goodman Br...... center of the card ......eâs Tales. Ed. James McIntosh. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1987. 186-209. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown." The Tales of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Ed. James McIntosh. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1987. 65-75. Heilman, Robert B. "Hwathorne's Birthmark: Science as Religion." The Tales of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Ed. James McIntosh. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1987. 421-427. McFarland, Melissa Pennell. An Encyclopedia by Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Greenwood Press, 1991.Mitchell, Thomas R. "Rapaccini's Garden and Emerson's Concord Translate Margaret Fuller's Voice." Hawthorne and women: Generating and expanding the Hawthorne tradition. Ed. John L. Idol. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1999. 75-91.Tharpe, Jac. Nathaniel Hawthorne: Identity and knowledge. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1967.