The Minister 's Black Veil

When one has to grope for, and fumble for, the meaning of a tale, then there is “failure” in the work, as Henry James says. This unfortunately is the case of “The Minister’s Black Veil.” It is so ambiguous in so many occasions in the tale that a blur rather than a distinct image forms in the mind of the reader. The Norton Anthology: American Literature states in “Nathaniel Hawthorne”:

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

In reality the veil represents the secrets everyone is hiding within themselves. The unifying theme is the conflict between the dark, hidden side of man and the standards imposed by his puritanical heritage. Hawthorne brings evil and unauthorized desire into the way of puritan life, and in so doing suggests a insightful truth that is disturbing in its implication, that is to say that we can never hope to know each other's true selves. The themes in the story are suggested by the veil-symbol, the tension between the minister and the community. Every person has something to hide from the world. The veil is symbolic for the cover up of peoples secrets. Although most people would not wear a veil, the minister is proving a point. By wearing a simple black veil Mr. Hooper is making all the villagers evaluate their everyday actions in life. The symbolic value of the black veil lies in the physical and mental dilemma that it creates between the minister and his environment, and the guilt it conveys. Many people believe that the face provides information about a person's primary characteristics, therefore, predicting a persons possible behavior. As a result, by

They also seek to show how this facade separates and alienates you from society, peers, reality, and spirituality. " 'Have patience with me, Elizabeth!' cried he, passionately. 'Do not desert me, though this veil must be between us here on earth. Be mine, and hereafter there shall be no veil over my face, no darkness between our souls! It is but a mortal veil--it is not for eternity! O! You know not how lonely I am, and how frightened, to be alone behind my black veil. Do not leave me in this miserable obscurity forever!' 'Lift the veil but once, and look me in the face,' said she.'Never! It cannot be!' replied Mr. Hooper." " 'Tremble also at each other! Have men avoided me, and women shown no pity, and children screamed and fled, only for my black veil? What, but the mystery which it obscurely typifies, has made this piece of crape so awful? When the friend shows his inmost heart to his friend; the lover to his best beloved; when man does not vainly shrink from the eye of his Creator, loathsomely treasuring up the secret of his sin; then deem me a monster, for the symbol beneath which I have lived, and die! I look around me, and, lo! On every visage a Black Veil!' "

Hooper is considered to be a romantic character because he is strictly focused on emotional truth rather than logic which is based on facts, etc. and he was not afraid to be judged regardless of who it was, This can be seen in the story when Mr. Hooper’s fiance Elizabeth asks him to remove his veil however, Mr. Hooper stands up for his belief and refuses to remove the veil even though Elizabeth had said her farewell and was now leaving. This part of the story really demonstrates how Mr. Hooper is a romantic character because he is a strong believer. When you are a romantic character just as Mr. Hooper, you find a true meaning in whatever you support and you feel as if it is your job to protect your beliefs at all costs no matter what the circumstances may

Clues about the veil’s meaning are given in Mr.Hooper’s last dying words. He said, "I look around me, and, lo! On every visage a Black Veil”(Hawthorne 246). By this Mr.Hooper meant that he saw a black veil on the faces of everyone around him. The black veil represents the secret sins that all people carry in their hearts and hide from their friends. Instead of focusing on what is behind their own veil people focus on what is behind Mr.Hooper's veil. He has chosen to make his black veil visible while others choose to hide their sins in their

In this essay, it discusses about ¨The Ministerś Black Veil" which is a short story about a reverend that goes by the name of, Mr. Hooper. In this short story, Mr. Hooper starts wearing a black veil, to cover his face. "There was but one thing remarkable in his appearance. Swathed about his forehead, and hanging over his face, so low as to be shaken by his breath, Mr. Hooper had on a black veil." (page 2). People in the town start to gossip about him because he decided to wear the black veil daily. It started one sabbath morning when he showed up with it to church. Mr. Hooper refuses to tell anyone why he wears the black veil. The black veil has its own symbolism, but it also means separation. The first separation is from the people, which

The final story shows that lack of communication can push people away leaving an individual alone and forced to live with the consequences of their actions. “The Minister’s Black Veil” shows how separating yourself from others without explanation pushes the most beloved away. Mr. Hooper puts the veil over his face and leaves the townspeople bewildered by his purpose of doing this. “‘ I do not like it, ‘ muttered an old woman. . . ‘He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face.’”. This woman's comment alone shows the confusion people have for Mr. Hooper's apparel change. He did not explain to the people why he wore the black veil over his face, and the communication failure separated the people and their minister. None,

The Minister’s Black Veil is a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1836. In this short story, Minister Mr. Hooper shows up one day at church wearing a black veil on his face. This black veil covers his face except his mouth and chin. The people of the town Milford begin to speculate on why Mr. Hooper wears this veil, whether he has been inflicted by an illness or if he is hiding a secret. When he refuses to remove the veil or tell the townspeople why he wears it, they become frightened of the Minister but also slightly intrigued. The children who use to run up to him now run and cower behind their mothers. Many people avoid conversations with him. However, the church becomes more packed every Sunday. People come all over just to gaze at Mr. Hooper, to see his veil. More people convert to his religion, saying, “QUOTE FROM BOOK PAGE 643*”. Although some people shun Mr. Hooper for being so public about his sins and secrets, others feel that this black veil that Mr. Hooper wears really helps them be better people, better Christians, knowing that everyone sins and that it is okay, as long as you do not hide it, and except it as human nature. Mr. Hooper wears the black veil from that day on. He dies wearing this black veil, never removing it or showing his face to anyone. The Minister’s Black Veil is one of many stories written by Nathaniel Hawthorne that symbolizes sin in a very public way.

In the story Hawthorne for “The Minister’s Black Veil” the major theme might be to not judge a book by its cover. Therefore, meaning that many people might have secrets that are sins or they might just have sorrowness that they want to hide from others. The minster like many others can hide from their sins and sorrowness with a veil over their face. The ambiguity in the story is the black veil and why the minister refuses to remove it. In his sermon he states “ The subject had reference to secret sin, and those sad mysteries which we hide from our nearest and dearest, and would fain conceal from our own consciousness” During this sermon all the members from his congregation started to feel uncomfortable.

Though the townsfolk are regretful of the minister's assumed crime, they negate this by partaking in sinful behavior themselves, on account of their own curiosity, and ultimately, their own fear. Hence, the minister’s veil not only changes the minister, but it changes the townsfolk as well, “each member of the congregation...felt as if the preacher had crept upon them, behind his awful veil, and discovered their hoarded iniquity of deed or thought” (2). Thus, the entire congregation fears the very sight of the minister’s veil, and the man of which used to win their admiration now has sinister implications surrounding himself. The aforementioned fear makes it apparent that every townsperson has dark secrets they would even try to hide from themselves.

It’s preferable to be aware and own up to one's sins rather than to live with the secret sin and the guilt of it. This connects to the society where we live in today since we try to conceal secret sins like war by saying it should be done to protect our country and it shows patriotism. I believe that secret sin is something we all possess, but many choose to ignore it and criticises others for their imperfections rather than try to change themselves. It is human nature to pick and poke around in other people's personal affairs so the individual feels superior to the person, and in a way it relieves them for a while until they begin to feel insecure about themselves once again. The black veil is very much similar to a penance because after receiving absolution whether it be from a religious figure or yourself, it is a self inflicted punishment for your sins and

Hooper shows what the veil symbolizes, “The story is developed around a single symbol: in this case, the black veil that the Reverend Mr. Hooper wears to hide his face from the world. The story's macabre tone and repressive early-colonial New England Puritan setting are familiar elements in Hawthorne's fiction, and they serve to underscore the unsettling behavior of the main character and the work's concern with the nature of secret sin and humans' fallen nature. Hawthorne's intended meaning with the tale has been the subject of considerable debate, with critics seeing it variously as a deprecation of Puritan fanaticism, a study of a misunderstood outsider ostracized by a community's intolerance, and an exploration of the clergyman's guilt after his crime against a young woman.” (Enotes). As shown you can see that Mr. Hooper had a sin of being with the young women and accused of killing her.

Hawthorne is a great example of a writer who helped shape the minds of readers through his fiction. As a writer he often kept to himself and “[…] for many, remains tantalizingly elusive” and “[…] a deeply private man” (Baym and Levine 603). However, his decision to keep his innermost thoughts to himself only further benefitted the American minds. “Withholding interpretation—or offering multiple and conflicting interpretations only makes readers do their own interpretive work but also shows how interpretation is often a form of self-expression” (Baym and Levine 603). “The Minister’s Black Veil” is one of Hawthorne’s works that leave the reader to evaluate themselves and how they perceive the meaning of the story and the symbolism of the veil.

Symbolism is very prominent throughout the entire short story. The color black typically symbolizes evil, darkness, and sin. The black veil which conceals the minister’s features, with its negative connotation, is representative of sin. The fact that it is a veil, which traditionally has a purpose is to conceal one’s face, implies that the minister’s black veil symbolizes secret sin. Hawthorne uses this symbolism to imply that man is inherently sinful; if a minister could potentially guilty of sin, so can others. For the townspeople, the black veil has various possible meanings. While many townspeople guess at its significance‒some of the townspeople