The Minister 's Black Veil

    There is no end to the ambiguity in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil”; this essay hopes to explore this problem within the tale.

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

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

American Romanticism was a literary and artistic movement that placed emphasis on strong emotions. Emotions intensified most were ones such as horror and terror, as well as awe. In, “The Minister’s Black Veil,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the emotions of horror, terror, and awe are drawn upon throughout the story, which follows the events and reactions of the citizens of a village after their resident minister suddenly starts to wear a black veil, which invokes discomfort and fear into the people. As with many of his stories, Hawthorne developed “The Minister’s Black Veil” around a symbol, which in this case is the veil. The veil represents that even the people that seem like they have nothing to hide or be ashamed of do, just as everyone else does. Hawthorne also makes the point of saying that although people do have secrets that they wish to not make a matter of, others still do not respect their privacy, and may even go out of their way to wonder and discuss the subject of the secret, without confronting the person themselves about it.

The townspeople in “The Minister’s Black Veil” represent negative judgement and discrimination against Mr. Hooper and veil he wore across his face. “At that instant, catching a glimpse of his figure in the looking-glass, the black veil involved his own spirit in the horror with which it overwhelmed all others.” Mr. Hooper wore the wretched black veil as an act of teaching the delinquent townspeople to look onto others as your own person and to not judge as God would. The black veil stood as a mirror to reflect the very souls of the good townspeople, and for Hawthorne, a message that even in today’s society there is judgement. As Reverend Hooper himself might say, judging a person does not define who they are… it defines who you

Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Minister's Black Veil" illustrates the dangers of secret sin. Allowing guilt from things done in the past, things that cannot be changed, can ruin lives. The life of the secret-carrier will be devastated, along with the lives of that person's most loved ones. Hawthorne uses various types of figurative language in his works to portray his message. "The Minister's Black Veil” is no exception; Hawthorne uses symbolism and suggestion to add depth and mystery.

‘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.

There are two areas where I can find a connection between “The Minister’s Black Veil” and American Romanticism. One is the importance of individual freedom in the sense that each person has the right to choose for himself. In the short story, Reverend Hooper chooses ro wear a black veil over his face for the rest of his life.

"I look around me, and, lo! on every visage a Black Veil!" In the story, Mr. Hooper tells his fiance, Elizabeth, that it is a symbol, but he doesn't say what. I think that Mr. Hooper wore the veil for his own personal sin, not to burden the townspeople. The quote I just put was his last words before he died. The meaning of it was him saying that everyone has their own sin, and just because someone isn't physically wearing veil doesn't mean that they don't already have one inside of them. Others would say that Mr. Hooper was a hyprocite and that he pretends to be holy but he's really just a devil. I argue with that. The whole moral of the story to me, was that everyone has their own personal sin. Just because you're a minister doesn't mean that you don't have any.

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

The author Nathaniel Hawthorne is a American novelist. Born into a family of old Puritan lineage, both his life and his work were marked by the Calvinist tradition. John Sutherland points out in his book that Hawthorne was in his early childhood when the tragedy of losing a father occurred him making a “[closer relationship] to his sister, Elizabeth.” (85) His early literary vocation forced him to face numerous economic problems, as his works did not give him enough to live. He wrote plenty of novels and short stories like “The Minster’s Black Veil”. Focusing on “The Minister 's Black Veil,” it is a horror story by Hawthorne, published in 1837. This short story has an interesting meaning, impacting the way people think about morals and

We take a trip back to the lovely Puritan era to understand the content matter of Hawthorne’s The Minister’s Black Veil. In this tale, Reverend Hooper, a young, unassuming, and unremarkable minister in everyway, suddenly dons a black veil, to the shock and mystery of the small town he preaches in. He becomes a pariah with his insistence to remove it, and loses his following and even his fiancee. He insists even on his deathbed to keep the veil into the grave.

The color black has a huge meaning in Minister’s Black Veil. It is a symbol of sin and regret. Black usually represents dark times in your life or mistakes you have made. This black veil is a symbol of secret sin and how bad the human race can be. Hawthorne uses a black veil to show that everyone in the Puritan Society has sinned at some point, even the minister. The puritans claim to be pure, however, in Hawthorne’s story he shows that we have all made mistakes that we will have to live with forever. You always have to live with your mistakes and sins even if you are the only one who knows about them.

Set in the New England town of Milford, the short story takes place in a Puritan society. Historically, Puritan towns were generally close-knit communities. In “The Minister’s Black Veil,” society holds a very heavy presence. When Mr. Hooper first appears in public with a black veil “swathed about his