Final answer:
Goodman Brown's wife, Faith, and her pink ribbons symbolize purity and innocence. Brown's encounter with the Devil and pious townspeople at a diabolical ritual in the woods leads to his lifelong alienation from the community.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, 'Young Goodman Brown,' the title character's wife is named Faith, which is a specific detail that symbolizes her husband's own faith and goodness. This detail about Faith's pink ribbons appears again at the end of the story, representing the innocence and purity that Goodman Brown believes he has lost.
The figure that Brown meets in the woods is the Devil, recognizable as a grave divine of the New England churches, and his encounter with this figure is a shock due to the Devil's resemblance to a respected church official. It is additionally shocking to Brown that Goody Cloyse, his moral and spiritual adviser, knows the Devil, as she represents the piety of the community.
The people attending the ritual in the woods are respectable members of the community, which is horrifying to Brown and makes him question the goodness of those around him. The events in the woods drastically affect Brown's interactions with his community, leading to a life of gloom, distrust, and disconnection from the church and his fellow townspeople.