Comparing The Minister's Black Veil And American Romanticism

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short stories are strongly developed around his unique and powerful use of physical setting. Often the location and the time of day of the story speak as much -- if not more -- of the plot, giving a deeper meaning then just the outside world. However, this emphasis on the physical setting is not always present, as in “The Minister’s Black Veil.” Instead, Hawthorne here used primarily the psychological setting of the characters (and most of all with Parson Hooper) to create this masterpiece work that creates just as much an impact - if not more so -- than any physical setting could ever achieve. Hawthorne’s gift as a writer who knew the power of darkness is evident in his short story “The Minister’s Black Veil”.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's “The Minister's Black Veil” there are many secrets, many dark areas, both literal and metaphorical. An intensely private man who allowed few to know him well, Nathaniel Hawthorne was fascinated by the dark secrets of human nature. One of the first American writers to explore his characters’ hidden motivations, Hawthorne broke new ground in American literature with his morally complex characters. He explored such themes as sin, hypocrisy, and guilt. This essay is discussed about a pleasant scene in Milford, a small Puritan town where men, women, and children mill about enjoying the prospect of another Sunday. This peace is interrupted by the

Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Minister's Black Veil" embodies the hidden sins that we all hide and that in turn distance us from the ones we love most. Reverend Hooper dons a black veil throughout this story, and never takes it off. He has discerned in everyone a dark, hidden self of secret sin. In wearing the veil Hooper dramatizes the isolation that each person experiences when they are chained down by their own sinful deeds. He has realizes that symbolically everyone can be found in the shadow of their own dark veil. Hooper in wearing this shroud across his face is only amplifying the dark side of people and the truth of human existence and nature.

Symbolism plays a major role in the “Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It influences the setting of the story and it complements the moral message. The minister, Mr. Hooper, has a lot of faith and is very committed to helping the society to be more faithful and closer to God. He lives a very harsh live being rejected by society and goes through unpleasant moments to achieve his original goal. When he decides to wear the black veil, he was not trying to be mysterious and create a gloomy environment like he did; he had much more than that in mind. The Black Veil represents the thought of the puritans that sin was an inexcusable mistake, the secret sin and dark side in each individual, and he uses

Author Nathaniel Hawthorne fabricates a new image of the life lived by Christian Protestant during 1836 Puritanism. The story “The Minister’s Black Veil” takes place in a small Puritan community where sin is greatly looked down upon and the only way into eternal life in heaven is to do onto others good deeds. At the beginning of the story everyone turns their heads to look as Reverend Hooper walks up to his pulpit wearing all but one item to be thought as normal. Everyone living in America today can relate to how it feels to be different than the greater society. Looking back at Puritan communities it was even worse and very consequential to be out of the ordinary. Corresponding with discrimination of divergence and belief in society today, the marvellous black veil cloaked upon Reverend Hooper’s disturbed face stands as a mirror, as it resembles a looking glass reflecting on those who have sinned themselves but are incapable of seeing it. “Such was the effect of this simple piece of crape, that more than one woman of

The story “The Minister’s Black Veil” is symbolic of the hidden sins that we hide and separate ourselves from the ones we love most. In wearing the veil Hooper presents the isolation that everybody experiences when they are chained down by their own sins. He has realized that everybody symbolically can be found in the shadow of their own veil. By Hooper wearing this shroud across his face is only showing the dark side of people and the truth of human existence and nature.

‘The Minister's Black Veil’ by Nathaniel Hawthorne is an American Romantic story published in 1832. Themes such as secret sin, and in short, everyone has a somewhat erroneous character are conferred in The Minister's Black Veil.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Minister's Black Veil," Mr. Hooper, a Reverend in the town of Milford, surprises his parishioners by donning a conspicuous black veil one Sunday. The town is visibly spooked, yet still curious, about his eerie appearance and profoundly affected by his sermon on secret sin. "A subtle power was breathed into his words. Each member of the congregation, the most innocent girl, and the man of hardened breast, felt as if the preacher had crept upon them, behind his awful veil, and discovered their hoarded iniquity of deed or thought" (2432). The parishioner's expect that Hooper will only don the veil for one day and then remove it, having used the visage to make his point on secret sin, but they are taken aback to

Some American Romanticism characteristics typical in this story is Mr Hooper and how he represents the black veil he is wearing. The Black veil he is wearing represents the hidden sins behind him but also shows that all God’s creatures have some of the same hidden sins. Some of the American Romanticism characteristics concentrate on feeling, imagination, God, innocence and inspiration. The black veil he is wearing makes the people in the story angry and curious to why he is wearing the black veil and that is what makes the story interesting to some people. People also can use their imagination to why they think he is wearing the black veil and to find out the main reason at the end of the story

Jonathan Edwards’ method of writing in his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is a more effective style than Nathaniel Hawthorne’s parable “The Minister’s Black Veil” because back in the time where these texts were written most people were followers of some form of Christianity so Edwards’ fear tactic was a very effective way of making people believe in God. Although both passages have a different theme they both deal with a moral lesson. Edwards’ theme is you should fear God because he is the only one who can keep you out of hell, whereas Hawthorne’s theme is a parable about everyone has a metaphorical black veil hiding their secret sins from people. Both of these themes have some similarities.

The Minister’s Black Veil and the Scarlet Letter, both by Nathaniel Hawthorne are very similar theme wise, because both stories deal with the main characters being scrutinized because of something they did. One theme I want to focus on is hypocrisy., because it plays a major part in both stories. For example, in Minister’s Black Veil, Mr. Hooper is shunned due to his black veil, and in the Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is shunned because she is an adulterer. Because of this, the townspeople disassociate themselves with both characters, and have a demeanor in which they feel like they are better than them. It’s hypocritical to think that because people are not perfect and commit sins everyday. With that being said, you shouldn’t act any different

“The Minister’s Black Veil”, Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the story of a parish pastor in Milford, New England. For unknown reasons, Parson Hooper has taken to wearing a dark veil on his face that covers all but his lips and chin. This veil immediately causes an uproar amongst the church members. Despite the fact that Parson Hooper’s behavior is largely the same, the people are genuinely shocked. Right away, they view this black veil as a sign the pastor is hiding a sinful secret. Parson Hooper goes onto preach a sermon that is similar to his usual sermons, but people find that it is suddenly more meaningful because of the veil. When finished, the

With the texts side by side it may be obvious to some that The Minister’s Black Veil seems much more humble than Sinners in the hands of an angry god. Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of Minister’s Black Veil tells a story of a man who took a vole to wear a veil over his face for the entirety of his life. It brought the character down to earth and made it so the audience can relate to Hawthorne’s writing on a personal level. Jonathan Edward the author of Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God on the other hand shouted through his text like the god he so envies, his goal is ever clear but his delivery puts a sour taste in the audience’s mouth.

The Holocaust was the murder of approximately six million European Jews and others by the Nazi regime in 1933. Many people should question the morals of human beings considering the past events of mass genocide. Human nature is flawed and has a lot of capacity for evil. This idea is reinforced through the writings of Anti-Transcendentalists dating back to the early 1800’s. A key writing of this time include “The Ministers Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. While giving a sermon to his puritan church, Reverend Hooper wears a black vail that strikes people as peculiar. The townspeople quickly assume that Hooper is hiding behind the cloth because he has secret sin. He refuses to take it off after begged by his wife and dies wearing the veil. Another story by this author includes “Young Goodman Brown,” the main characters faith in humanity is lost after talking to the devil in the woods and seeing his family and friends as devil worshippers. He lives in suspicion and believes that all people are evil. The use of symbolism in the literary works of Hawthorne indicates his view on human nature, which is man is inherently sinful.

“The Minister’s Black Veil” was first published in 1832 and was written during the American Romantic time period. Romanticism was a time period where emotion and beliefs were valued over reason and facts. Nathaniel Hawthorne can be seen as a writer of “Dark Romanticism,” a sub genre of Romanticism with a fascination with horrific themes and the exploration of the psychological effects of sin and guilt, and where the writers focused on judgement, punishment, and self-destruction. Hawthorne’s use of this style of writing sets the tone of the work as a observation of the nature of sin.