Goodman Brown's "Experience"

Goodman Brown emerges from the forest a ruined man. It should not escape attention that Goodman Brown's wife, a lighthearted naive woman, bears the name of Faith. Faith is not an unusual woman's name, but it is significant in this story that she is presented as a very young bride with pink ribbons in her hair. This to me is almost like a child. Her pink ribbons symbolize her youth and innocence and Faith in …

…his father, grandfather, church, and most terrifyingly of all, his wife. He was unprepared to accept the visions he would receive there and has been changed for the worse. He was supposed to learn that everyone is human, and should be treated with compassion; instead he learned that everyone is a sinner. Enlightenment can provide great wisdom, but only to those whose minds are open to receive it. Thus he becomes the opposite of Faith.