The Ministers Black Veil By Nathaniel Hawthorne

In New England Men of Letters Wilson Sullivan relates the purpose of Hawthorne’s veiled image:

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.

Whatever his reason for his odd clothing, Reverend Hooper's veil caused more than a physical separation from the people of his town. The people felt the veil was "the symbol of a fearful secret between him and them" (Hawthorne 256). Their fear and confusion of the minister's motives caused strange behavior and unnatural withdrawal from their spiritual leader.

In The Minister’s Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author seeks to convey that although all individuals are sinners, members of society will condemn those who seek to confront their own faults. This conclusion was drawn from the many motifs which relate to Puritan society, particularly the superstitions and Christian ideologies of many New Englanders during the 18th century. In this tale, Mr. Hooper’s donning of the black veil is viewed as a change which alters his countenance indefinitely; from the moment it is introduced, those who view it are awestruck. The mere sight of Mr. Hooper even acts as a “signal for the bell to cease its summons”. As murmurs spread throughout the congregation, Mr. Hooper preaches of “secret sin, and those

Mr. Hooper has an effect on people by wearing the veil and he uses it to express his original purpose. Everyone on Earth has sinned, “for the Earth, too, had on her Black Veil.” This shows that Mr. Hooper believed that sin is a part of nature and it is a natural thing to be sinners. Even Earth, His own creation, is hiding her secret under a black veil. Hawthorne says this to show Mr. Hooper’s point that people have an inborn sinful nature and it is not always represented by literally wearing a black veil. In other words, he says that even people who do not wear a black veil equally have secret sins, “If I hide my face for sorrow, there is a cause enough…and if I cover it for secret sin, what mortal might not do the same?” People hide their real self to prevent being criticized by society and because they are ashamed of what they have done. He pays a high price in the attempt of teaching society the nature of sins. The people who used to admire him are now afraid and confused so he is forced to live a lonely live. Following this further, he influences people to believe the moral lesson behind his decision of wearing the veil. He wants people to

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

Specifically, Hooper’s spasmodic behavior leads him to wear a black veil over his face, which comes short just above his mouth. “There was but one thing remarkable in his appearance. Swathed about his forehead, and hanging down over his face, so low as to be shaken by his breath, Mr. Hooper had on a black veil.” (Hawthorne 2). Living in a deeply religious society, as well as being a preacher, wearing such an inappropriate garment is asking for persecution. “ He seemed not fully to partake of the prevailing wonder, till Mr. Hooper had ascended the stairs, and showed himself in the pulpit, face to face with his congregation, except for the black veil. That mysterious emblem was never once withdrawn. It shook with his measured breath…” (Hawthorne 3). All eyes are on the minister; his status does not bring him this attention, but the mystery and the astonishment of the black veil. The veil and Hooper are one; both are religiously symbolic and are the center of the

"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.

During the 18th and 19th century America expanded their writing style into a new genre called Gothic Literature. This type of genre was invented originally in Europe but became popular in America quickly. This new genre allowed authors to portray a darker side in their works. Before this style was created, the only literature written was based upon romance. The romantic appeal still shows in some of these stories but is not the main aspect of the writing. The choice of evil in any type of writing was extremely sparse and the majority considered it to be insane. A copious amount of authors had the opportunity to grow and form this new style of writing. Add one more sentence which will be the thesis.

Hawthorne’s The Minister’s Black Veil is a parable, suggests his purpose for writing. According to Webster’s dictionary, a parable is a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson. This is exactly what Hawthorne is trying to accomplish. The black veil that Pastor Hooper wears causes confusion and creates fear within

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

"The Minister's Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a short story that was first published in the 1836 edition of the Token and Atlantic Souvenir and reappeared over time in Twice-Told Tales, a collection of short stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The short story narrates the events following Reverend Mr. Hooper's decision to begin wearing a black veil that obscures his full face, except for his mouth and chin. Mr. Hooper simply arrives one day at the meeting house wearing the semi-transparent black veil and refuses from then on to take it of, leading to the loss of his fiancée and isolation form the world. He is even buried in the black veil. Yet, what is important to note are Mr. Hooper's last words to those

In the story The Minister’s Black Veil there was a lonely man with a black Black Veil on him and there is a deep black secret about him and the characteristics about Mr. Hooper . There are different kinds of American Romanticism in this novel with myths and symbols like loneliness , hate , gloom, sadness . They are not symbols that no one can not see they are right there in one's face, for example the title “The Black Veil’ already has a meaning a dark wardrobe representing death. Because a veil is something someone puts over there head on weddings and funerals. But they are two different meanings , in a wedding they are white meaning innocence, positive, wholeness and completion

These characters had weight, and the audience could feel sympathetic towards the them. The Hawthorne makes the audience sympathetic towards the characters. In one instance the character in the story stated “The black veil, though it covers only our pastor’s face throws its influence over his whole person, and makes him ghostlike from head to foot. Do you not feel it so?” (lines 138-140) This makes us feel the reactions of the characters.

The short story “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne follows the minister Mr. Hooper whose simple change in appearance alters the very nature of his existence in society till his death. While his decision to begin to wear a black veil over his face ostracizes him from society, it also turns him into a more influential clergyman. With the symbolism of the black veil and in a somber tone, Hawthorne makes a statement on the involvement of society in personal matters and the “black veil” that is present over the heart of every man, making the point that everyone is guilty of being sinful.