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Minister's Black Veil Symbolism

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Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil” is centered on a man who wears a black veil. The man in this reading is a minister who has committed some vulgar sin(s), which is where the black veil becomes relevant to his life. Hawthorne has decided to write about sin, but his stories often give a different perspective on sin, and “The Minister’s Black Veil” is no different. Rev. Hooper, who is the minister, is the character that defines the world, which means that members of society as a whole shield themselves in order to present themselves as being perfect. However, perfection is unfortunately something one cannot achieve. Therefore, the veil symbolizes every man’s desire to hide his sins and be seen as perfect.
Upon reading “The Minister’s Black Veil”, one can conclude that Hawthorne wants to demonstrate how individuals would rather hide their indiscretions than own up to them, and that is demonstrated through the character, Mr. Hooper. Nathaniel Hawthorne is an author who uniquely invites the reader into his stories through the use of symbolism, which draws the attention of the reader and allows one to become almost interactive with his readings. Mr. Hooper, who is a minister, is not allowed to commit any sin in his world, which means that even thinking sinful …show more content…
Hooper is a man of the cloth, but he is also human; humans are bound to sin. One is not immune to sin, and one cannot run from it, but judgement has allowed for the masking of the truth. The life an individual chooses to live is between that person and the God one has a belief in, and no one should be able to define one’s life based on a sin. Judgement is what drives society to seek perfection, but in reality it is just not possible. Hawthorne does an amazing job in this short story demonstrating how society has been masking sin and mistakes for many

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