Women Knitting Black Wool Analysis

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

Her hair was possibly the last hope of freedom she had that Joe hadn’t taken from her. Janie’s hair symbolized her self and freedom, and since it was taken away from her, it portrays how Janie has no control of her life and her identity with Joe in her life. A second example of symbolism used in the novel was the horizon mentioned at the beginning and the end of the novel. The horizon was mentioned in the first paragraph of the novel as. “For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away…”(Hurston 1). And in the final paragraph of the novel it’s shown as, “Here was peace. [Janie] pulled in her horizon like a great fish-net. Pulled it from around the waist of the world and draped it over her shoulder.”(Hurston 193). This horizon, in a sense, symbolizes one’s identity, specially Janie’s, and how it was once out of reach, being observed, and now it can be wrapped around and worn as a badge of pride. Janie had struggled through so many hardships between those two quotes that ultimately lead to her finding her identity. With the horizon itself symbolizing Janie’s identity, it helps argue the major theme of identity within this

that black is symbolic of evil and darkness. The first black cat was the victim of the narrator’s evil and violent heart.

The author is creating fear by saying that god has full control of your life and how he can ended at any moment. Hawthorne uses symbolism to explain the deeper meaning behind the black veil. "Do not desert me, through 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 soul." The author in this story is trying to help people understand the veil stands for them and the sins that

Moreover, the symbol of secret sin also appears in “The Minister’s Black Veil.” When the people of the town first saw Mr. Hooper wearing the black veil, they were all wondering why he would wear such thing. To Mr. Hooper, the black veil means deceit and sins to those who can not separate themselves from their sins. One example is when he is wearing the black veil to the wedding, and everyone is kind of skeptic about why he is wearing it but in reality, he wore it to remind everyone of their sins. Because of this, people call him evil, and he soon became an outcast. The black veil can also represent his own sin that he committed in the past in which he can never forgive himself. Symbols for secret sin are once again used in Nathanial Hawthorne’s works.

Her dress is mandated uniform that she cannot separate herself from. The flowers also show her powerlessness to possess the products of her womb. Likewise, the blood of martyrdom represents her inability to end her life and seize her desire of a safe place. The banned cigarettes are symbolic of the masculine sense of dominance and the match is the desire for destruction and control. All of these red things in her life show how she is powerless to form her own identity and deviate from the rules, a symbolic stop sign that prevents her from becoming her own person.

If this wasn't enough symbolism, Hawthorne soon introduces us to the people that YGB encounters on his journey. In his book "Power of Darkness," Levin suggests that in this piece, the darkness is symbolic of "the deep mystery of sin"(54). The people who are representative of the sins are those who are cloaked in darkness, and who appear "grave and dark-clad" to the reader - the elder witches. Considering that the story deals with the loss of faith replaced by doubt (Levin, 54), we can only assume that these dark clothed characters represent the sin that humanity has brought upon itself. YGB has been drawn to the sin, but hasn't yet partaken of it - he doesn't actually join the witches in the end. Nonetheless, Hawthorne wants us to understand that he was drawn to the dark side of human nature, with all it appears to promise, and yet turned it away at the last minute to the goodness (represented by the light pink color of Faith's ribbons).

The second symbol is the snow-on-the-mountain camellia flowers. The camellia is just one of the many examples of how symbolism is displayed in To Kill a Mockingbird. The snow-on-the-mountain camellia is a symbol of beauty and escape of happiness in the midst of the ugliness and sadness of a situation. through out chapter 11 mrs.dubose insultes He and Scout. So one day Jem decided to take scouts batons and destroy Mrs.Dubose camellias "until the ground

Marlow then encounters two women who represent the gatekeepers of Darkness, which puts Marlow in an uneasy mood. Conrad uses these women to symbolize both the angelic and the monstrous aspects of the female gender; they welcome the newcomers and guide them to the next step of their journey, yet knit black wool which symbolizes death, to which they are escorting their guests. This dichotomy echoes throughout Marlow’s journey, “Often far away there I thought of these two, guarding the door of Darkness, knitting black wool as for a warm pall, one introducing, introducing continuously to the unknown, the other scrutinizing the cheery and foolish faces with unconcerned old eyes” (Conrad 12). The two women further the theme of light into darkness, the fall of one’s humanity from civilized to savage. While the story starts with an illustration of the angelic feminine in the form of Marlow’s aunt, Conrad presents the first step into darkness by representing the two female

In the short story, "The Minister's Black Veil," Nathaniel Hawthorne presents a similar theme to that of The Scarlet Letter through the usage of the black veil that the Reverend Mr. Hooper drapes across his face to hide his secret transgressions from the world. The veil the clergyman wears is voluntary punishment, in contrast to the scarlet letter that Hester was forced to wear, though it's consequences are similar for Reverend Hooper, as he becomes an outcast of society as well. Though everyone knows Hester's sin, no one can even find the courage to ask Father Hooper why he wears his veil. When his wife, Elizabeth, finally does ask him, he gives her no clear answer and thus the veil's meaning is ambiguous and the townspeople all have their different theories for it including sin, sorrow, and weak eyes; though most fingers pointed towards a secret sin. The ambiguity of the black veil is similar to the ambiguity of the scarlet letter. At first the letter stood for the sin of adultery

Jill McCorkle, along with Bobbie Ann Mason often use the symbolism of a short story to further the meaning of the piece. In the short story “Shiloh”, Mason uses Leroy and Norma Jean to exhibit a further meaning of the story by effectively using symbolism. In addition to “Shiloh”, McCorkle also uses symbolism in her story “Cats” to symbolise how cats can be related to humans in multiple ways. McCorkle describes the relationship between two cats, Pumpkin Pie and Possum, and their two human counterparts, Anne and Abbott, and how they share similar characteristics. In works such as “Shiloh” and “Cats”, symbolism furthers the meaning of the story and leave the interpretation of the work up to the reader.

Hawthorne’s writing style in the “Ministers Black Veil” reveals his view on humans nature through symbolism of the black veil. Reverend clark and other men encircle the minister and question why he must never take off the vail. Right before the ministers death he gets aburst of energy and proclaims, “When the friend shows his inmost heart to his friend…, 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!”(Hawthorne 882). Everyone has secrets that they do not want to tell even their closest companions because they feel guilty and ashamed. The minister tells the clergyman that everyone wears a black veil over their face. Hawthorne writes this intending for the veil to be a symbol of man’s secret sin therefore showing that his outlook on humanity is that people are secretly sinful.

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

Both the black dress and the perfume are symbolic and ironic. They were both things that Papa loved, as well as Maman and that night their love came to an end.

In this quote the “coffins of black'; symbolize the chimneys (554). Ultimately this all symbolizes the boys’ death because of their terrible life cleaning chimneys at such a young age. In the next stanza an Angel comes “And he opened the coffins and set them all free,'; which symbolizes the boys’ death and escape to heaven. All of these symbols cause feelings of sympathy in the reader, hopefully causing them to want to help these children escape their fate.