"Young Goodman Brown" can be read as an allegory of the Christian soul and what happens when the soul chooses to turn away from God -- for even the briefest amount of time. Goodman is the Puritan Mister, but it also seems symbolic of Brown's potential for goodness, should he make the right decisions. Likewise, Brown is such a common surname that it helps the character to seem like a kind of everyman figure.
Goodman Brown's wife's name is Faith, and she symbolizes his Christian faith in God. However, he chooses to abandon her at home, leaving his faith behind him. He even says that "'after this one night, [he'll] cling to her skirts and follow her to Heaven.'" But this is not how faith works: the truly faithful do not abandon their faith when it suits them. When Goodman Brown abandons his faith, planning to have just one more sinful night, he makes a mistake that he can never fix.
A Christian cannot abandon his or her faith and then expect it to be waiting whenever they decide to be faithful and good again. Although one might fail, a dedication to always trying to remain faithful and avoid sin is required. However, because Brown abandons his faith, he is never again able to reclaim it, and he spends the rest of his life in misery and solitude, separated even from God.
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