What Is The Symbolism In The Minister's Black Veil

The Black veil could symbolize three things which are adultery, a secret sin, or the darkness of humanity. The reason the black veil could symbolize adultery is because he might have had a secret encounter with a women that he wasn't with. The reason it could symbolize this is because he has a wife named Elizabeth and he might have cheated on her and he doesn't want her to know. During the story the wife asks Mr. Hooper to take the veil off or they are going to split and he didn't take it off so he might have felt so guilty about cheating on her that he wants her to leave.

“The Minister’s Black Veil” is a parable that is cloaked in ambiguity. I believe that the author wrote this parable with a purpose. Like a piece of art, the story’s mystery allows each reader to interpret it differently. This however, results in many different inferences. As I read, and reread, the story I was convinced that the veil represents the dangers of judgment.

In the short story The Minister's Black Veil Nathaniel Hawthorne is explaining how mankind is afflicted by the seven sins. The officer of the church is ring the town bell calling all the people of the village to church, when the church sexton sees Mr. Hooper leave his house he stops ring the bell. The people of the town don't like the Hoopers change in appearance they think that he has lost his sanity and no one walks on the side of the street he lives on. Later in the story the their is a funeral for a young woman and the town people think that's why Hooper is wearing the Black veil “for his own secret sins”. The young minister asks Hooper to remove the veil as Hooper is dying. Hooper is brought to his grave, “Many years pass, and grass

In the Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Minister’s Black Veil”, Hawthorne uses a black a veil as a symbol in the story in order to represent something much greater. In the short story, Mr. Hooper gets judged by his close peers for wearing a black veil upon his face, however they fail to realize that Mr. Hooper has a reason behind him wearing this upon his face. The black veil symbolizes some type of object used which hides one’s true persona. Mr. Hooper asks his auditory "Why do you tremble at me alone?... Tremble also at each other!” In this quote, Hawthorne let’s the reader know that we should all fear each other, regardless if we have something that is physically covering our face or not. A veil lies upon everyone’s face which hides people’s true persona which they all don’t show at first but later in time reveal what is hidden underneath. Everyone at the church had negative feedback towards Mr. Hooper’s black veil, many asked why he did it while others wondered if he was hiding something. Mr. Hooper refused to remove his veil even after his fiance had asked him why he wore it and if he could remove it, this proves that Mr. Hoopers character was a strong believer

In The Ministers Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author uses a black veil to symbolize multiple interpretations. Moreover, after reading the anecdote, the veil means something more than just a black veil hanging from the Ministers face, it’s something deeper and dark that’s hidden within the minister. The Minister wore the veil for his wrong doing, and somehow wanted people to know that he did something mischievous.

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

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 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.

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”:

The black veil Seems to be a very important and major role in the story it is a symbol in which it dictates the story. The veil worn by Mr. Hooper, the minister in "The Minister 's Black Veil" is a symbol for the sins that mankind

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.

As in example, what the black veil symbolized was "unspeakable crime... which was acknowledged by the presence of the veil." (Cording 58). The people were confused when they saw Mr. Hooper with a black thing on his face. Would it be very strange to see a minister with a black cloth over their face? "The principle effect of the veil is 'to avert explicit statements of what it stands for.' Creating meaning and simultaneously hiding it.." (Freedman 353) This is what creates a mystery to the story because Hawthorne doesn't mention the idea of the black veil meaning evil. You as the reader have to find out what the veil means and you don't find out until almost the end

Hooper wore the black veil to symbolized secret sin; this veil represented how everyone has something in their heart that no one knows about." I mainly stuck to this article because it supports my argument by a landlside. The quote is saying her (the authors) thought as to why Mr. Hooper wore the veil. Everyone has their own personal secret. The author, Searis West, explains throughtout this entire article is that he wore it for his own personal issues. The townspeople think that he wears it to bother them only because he doesn't say what the reason was to anybody. He made a promise to God which he swore to secrecy. The author thinks that Mr. Hooper wears this veil because of the audltery he was accused of with the young girl. Maybe, Mr. Hooper wore this because of

Hardly anyone would have sympathy for Mr. Hooper because it seems crazy to be wearing a veil especially for a man or a parson. And it is hard to get some logical reasons why Mr. Hooper got a veil on his face. One couple seeing the veil judged: “’How strange,’ said a lady, ‘that a simple black veil, such as any woman might wear on her bonnet, should become such a terrible thing on Mr. Hooper’s face!’”. People in the town could not find out why Mr. Hooper is covering up his face. Goodman Gray of the sexton when saw Parson Hooper said: “’Are you sure it is our parson?’”. The story tell us what the people think about the veil: “But that piece of crap, to their imagination, seemed to hang down before his heart, the symbol of a fearful secret between him and

I believe Mr. Hawthorne’s character, Mr. Hooper, wears the black veil to hide his own sins. "Elizabeth, I will," said he, "so far as my vow may suffer me. Know, then, this veil is a type and a symbol, and I am bound to wear it ever, both in light and darkness, in solitude and before the gaze of multitudes,