Two pieces of literature that may seem completely different at first glance may have more similarities than one would think. After examining two famous works, "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" by Herman Melville and "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathanial Hawthorne, the differences were apparent. Both tales were set in different cities, told from contrasting points of view, and took place in various time periods. Yet, both pieces of literature present a great deal of symbolism.  The symbolism presented by the authors in each piece illustrates a different meaning and intention, but both authors use their symbolism to portray the essence of their individual pieces.

“Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street,” written by Herman Melville, was set in the nineteenth century during a time where there was little technology in New York.  The story is told in first person and the character is later identified as a lawyer.  He considers himself to be a “…a man who, from his youth upwards, has been filled with a profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best” (Melville 475).   He narrates the story without influence, but with observations and the facts; “Ginger Nut…was a lad some twelve years old.  His father was a carman” (Melville 479).  The narrator has a few men reporting to him, but the strangest one is Bartleby.  In the beginning, Bartleby would complete his work in a timely manner, but as the days passed he would repeatedly state that he would, “Prefer not to…” (Melville 481).  The lawyer describes Bartleby as “…a motionless young man…” (Melville 480).  He seems to present a little concern for Bartleby’s sake, but refuses to ever confront him.  

“Young Goodman Brown” was set in the seventeenth century during the times of the Witch Trials in Salem, Massachusetts.  The tale is told in third person and the narrator is never named.  The main character, Young Goodman Brown, lives with his wife, Faith, in a town of Christians who always “say thy prayers” (Hawthorne 1) and practice their religion. One day Young Goodman Brown decides to leave and explore the dark forests of Salem. Before he leaves, Faith warns him to “prithee put off your journey until sunrise and sleep in your own bed to-night” (Hawthorne 1).  After little hesitation, he leaves Faith and his home and makes his way into the forest.  He experiences several events, such as his encounter with the old man in the forest, that lead him to doubt his wife and his fellow citizens.

From the surface these two tales present a story, but the reader is not able to grasp the real meaning until they analyze and research the background in more depth.  The two stories are filled with symbolism.  “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” “…is a story of passive resistance” (Desmarais).  Bartleby represents the struggle between capitalism and change. Capitalism is an economic or political system where private owners control the workers.  In a capitalist economy, owners might “…ignore employee complaints, and blame the poverty of workers on their own moral failures…” (Bartleby).  In “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street,” the lawyer is a presentation of a private owner and Bartleby is a representation of a worker during a time of capitalism.  When Bartleby enters the workplace he challenges the hierarchy within the system when he disregards the lawyer’s orders to copy his cases.  This represents a protest of a middle class worker.  Bartleby is fired after “the lawyer simply assumes his right to exercise unlimited authority…” (Bartleby). Another cause for Bartleby’s behavior could be explained by the time period it was written about.  Innovation was causing workers to lose their jobs to machinery and as a result, workers had to make a modification to their career and their lifestyle.  Some changes workers needed to make included relocating and accepting the truth that they would have trouble moving up in their social status.  As Bartleby states, “I would prefer not to” (Melville 482), he challenges the idea of change.  

In “Young Goodman Brown,” Young Goodman Brown’s wife, Faith, represents his faith to God.  As he leaves his home, he says goodbye to his wife Faith, but also to his religion.  His faith was slowly melting away as “…he looked back and saw the head of Faith still peeping after him with a melancholy air, in spite of her pink ribbons” (Hawthorne 1).  As he enters the woods, he meets a man holding a staff that seemed to be similar to a serpent.  The staff represented evil and the devil.  As he encounters the man he apologizes for his delay and says, "Faith kept me back a while…” (Hawthorne 1).  At a first glance, the reason for his tardiness was his wife, Faith, but symbolically it was his faith in God that kept him away from immorality.  As the tale continues, Young Goodman Brown notices his wife’s pink ribbons falling from the sky and as a result he shouts, “My Faith is gone!” (Hawthorne 5).  This is a symbol that his faith in God is slowly slipping away and will vanish soon.  The next day, “…young Goodman Brown came slowly into the street of Salem village, staring around him like a bewildered man” (Hawthorne 8).  He could not look at his wife and his neighbors the same because of his experience in the woods.  Young Goodman Brown had been tempted by the devil and gave in; just like the story of Adam and Eve.  He had lost his faith in God, but also his faith in his wife.  Hawthorne constructed “Young Goodman Brown” to heal his guilt he possessed from his family’s history during the Witch Trials.  Hawthorne uses his tale to uphold the dignity of the common man, but also his ancestors.

The symbolism presented by the authors in “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” and “Young Goodman Brown” demonstrates a different meaning and intention, but the two use their symbolism to represent the message of their individual pieces.  The two stories are told from differing points of view and set in distinct settings, but both stories include a number of uses of symbolism.  The symbolism within the tales is a representation of the underlying issues that the authors want to address. 
