...Mary Elrod Rockett English 101- Tuesday/ Thursday 26 July 2015 Behind The Black Veil According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, a veil is worn to cover or hide something else. In this case, Parson Hooper wears a veil to cover his “secret sin.” Being a minister, he is exposed to many sinful situations that are difficult to avoid and he covers his self- conflict with a black veil. Throughout this eye- opening parable, “The Minister’s Black Veil,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, there are both, positive and negative effects of Mr. Hooper’s black veil. Hawthorn reveals whether or not Mr. Hooper’s black veil is worth wearing by the time he dies at the end of the story. The first time Mr. Hooper wears his black veil, people immediately feel frightened and wonder why their minister “has gone mad” (Hawthorne 9). Mr. Hooper does not mean to scare everyone, he is simply covering his face from the world, in which he says, “If I hide my face for sorrow, there is cause enough and if I cover it for secret sin, what mortal might not do the same?” (Hawthorne 35). Everyone speaks only of bad things about him, “I would not be alone with him for the world. I wonder he is not afraid to alone with himself” (Hawthorne 16). Even his fiancé questions their relationship. No one wants a husband whose face is always covered by a depressing veil. He refuses to remove it and explain to her why he is wearing this veil. Mr. Hooper loves Elizabeth dearly and does not want her to leave him, “Have patience...
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...The story of “The Minister’s Black Veil” is a parable that recounts the story of a parson who decided to reveal his true nature and tried to open the eyes of the Puritan congregation. The story is symbolic to a mystery that everyone hides and this ends up creating a barrier between them and others. The black veil is the symbolism he uses and it could represent secret sins or crime, the mediocrity of Puritan culture or Mr. Hooper trying to show human’s true nature. The black veil could represent secret sins because Mr. Hooper’s first sermon topic on the day he put on the veil was “secret sins and those sad mysteries which we hide from our nearest and dearest”. He had such effectiveness that the people felt as if the sermon was directed to them personally, people attributed this to the veil. Also in the story the people in the congregation ask “Did he seek to hide it from the dread Being whom he was addressing?” which makes us reflect about why someone would want to hide something from God unless it is a despicable sin that we don’t want anyone to know about… The question the people ask helps us have a perspective on the ideas the congregation was having about the meaning of the veil. The veil could also be a symbolism for the Puritan culture and how closed-minded and mediocre they were. This is because in...
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...Nathaniel Hawthorne in ‘The Minister’s Black Veil’ uses the symbolic black veil to symbolize one hiding private sins. Hawthorne wrote ‘The Minister’s Black Veil’. He convinces me through his extraordinary writing to agree with the fact that the black veil is a good symbol. To continue, Hawthorne represented well by making a label clear, showing rather than hiding, and proving an element to the “black veil”. What does a label even mean? First, everything has a label. In ‘The Minister’s Black Veil’, the veil represented a label of screening a certain circumstance of one's life out. For instance, Mr. Hooper, in this short story, is a regular man. For example, his characteristics are still similar to other men who do not wear the veil. The sight at first may be weird to put together, but to Mr. Hooper the veil is a piece of him. For example, it's like an apple, apples usually don't have spots; just like how people usually don’t wear veils but some feel they...
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...The True Meaning to The Minister’s Black Veil A utopian society is thought of as an amazing place. In a utopian society everyday is always a beautiful familiar day, but a land where you can’t show your own beliefs or self expression does not sound that great. The Minister’s Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the story of a man known as Reverend Hooper. One day he begins to wear a black veil for some reason unknown to the citizens of the town. The citizens all begin to try and figure out why he now wears this black veil, and in this confusion chaos descends onto the town and Reverend Hooper. It is pretty obvious that Hawthorne is trying to show the flaws with a society that is supposed to be perfect, yet is so easily shattered to chaos...
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...“The Minister’s Black Veil:” Confidential Sin The question about the minister’s black veil runs through everyone’s mind when he enters the scene, on a Sunday morning church day. No one dares to ask him why he wears it, instead they choose to spread a rumor. “It was remarkable that of all the busybodies and impertinent people in parish, not one ventured to put the plain question to Mr. Hooper (Pg. 240).” The narrator uses curiosity to make the reader more entide to the basic situation. The story, “The Minister’s Black Veil”, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is an enticing American Romanticism that conveys an interesting life learning lesson to everyone. The most well known American Romanticism characteristic of a story is love. However,...
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...Nwauwa Izuchukwu 10/16/17 English III Honors Symbolism in “The Minister’s Black Veil” The parable the “Minister’s Black Veil” It symbolic of the hidden sins that we hide; Separating us from the ones we love the most. When Mr. Hooper wore the veil it represented the isolation that everyone feels when they are brought down by their own sin. When Mr. Hooper wore this shroud across his face it showed the darkness of the people and the truth behind human existence. The reason why Mr. Hooper left the shroud on was because he had realized that secret sin is a veil that can never be removed until the person has died. In the “Minister’s black veil” Mr. Hooper said that “There is an hour to come when all of us shall cast aside our veils.”...
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...During my reading of the “The Minister’s Black Veil” what I found interesting was the fact that while Mr. Hooper wore the veil nobody seemed to ask him why he wore it, but instead only talked about it behind his back. Because of this it seemed to give the black veil an unworldly authority to project fear upon anyone who saw it, even Mr. Hooper himself. In fact the black veil gained so much power that it was able to render authorities speechless because they were unable to talk about it in front of Mr. Hooper. Not only this but even imitations of the black veil seemed to gain a notoriety for producing fear, as demonstrated through one of the children who wore a black handkerchief over his face. The only person who ever directly questioned Mr....
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...In The Minister’s Black Veil, Reverend Hooper shows up to church on Sunday morning with a black veil and the sermon he gives is on secret sin. He refuses to tell anyone the reason he's wearing it, and the townsfolk begin to think less of his character because of it. As the story develops, symbolism is represented through the sermon, the black veil, and the people in the community to create meaning in the story. First, the sermon Reverend Hooper gives with his black veil on his about secret sin. Throughout the sermon he is giving the congregation, he is secretly telling them the meaning of the veil: 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...
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...“The Minister’s Black Veil” is a short story that uses the theme of guilt or a sin that is undisclosed. Since Nathaniel Hawthorne’s speciality seems to be describing the emotion a person feels when they are keeping a secret, he accurately captures the sentiment of guilt and shame that seems to claw the inside of a person’s consciousness. Hawthorne’s way of telling the story draws the reader in with his use of his vivid explanations and talented symbolism. Both of these things are an integral part of a short story, and they help the story ensue without losing the reader’s interest. In Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil,” the use of diction helps to immerse the reader into the time period, the details make the reader feel the parishioners’...
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...Do things you can’t see or understand make you distrusting or afraid? Some people fear the unknown. In fact, the unexplainable often puts irrational fear into the hearts of many. In “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Reverend Hooper causes discord by wearing a veil in front of his congregation. Never explaining his reasons, he continues to wear the veil every single day. His people begin to shun him, thinking it is strange and unseemly. He wears it the rest of his life, and upon his deathbed explains it is a symbol of the mask everyone is wearing to cover his secret sin. The author emphasizes obsession, isolation, and underlying guilt as aspects of man’s hidden sins by presenting the struggle between the concealed side of man and the ideals of society. The minister becomes obsessed with his pursuit of showing men’s inner identities. As his bride-to-be Elizabeth confronts him about removing the veil, his response is not to her liking. “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. “Then, farewell!” said Elizabeth. (417) The parson is so consumed with being an example for his community that he sacrifices his own happiness. He strives to be in the image of God and to share his true character, and implies his congregation should do the same. However, his withdrawal sets him apart from his people. Therefore, without that contact the minister loses...
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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...
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...proceeds to the front. Something has changed, and everyone is aware.” In The Minister’s Black Veil, Nathaniel Hawthorne presents the idea that personal sacrifices must me made during one's lifetime for those you love even if it means giving up one’s happiness. In Milford, a small Puritan town in which men, women, and children are fancying another Sunday. The peace is interrupted on the Sabbath day when Reverend Hooper, Minister of the Puritan Community appears before his congregation inexplicably wearing an obscure black veil that extends from his forehead and covers his eyes and nose. The people of the town cannot hide their shock and disbelief and are frightened by his...
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...The veil in "The Minister's Black Veil" holds many symbolic meanings, the first being a symbol of how judgmental and shallow society is. The people in this story judge Mr. Hooper based on his physical appearance rather than his character; "He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face" (937). Before the veil, Mr. Hooper seemed to be well liked and respected in this community, and this changed after he covered his face. Mr. Hooper never changed who he was as a person, but was still thought of as "something awful" just for wearing the veil. The symbol is still relevant in our society today; we judge people based on being beautiful on the outside rather than on the inside. Another symbol of the veil is pride and selfishness....
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...A pastor in a small town in Connecticut delivers a speech of a secret sin wearing a black veil. The townspeople immediately begin to gossip. Some people say he's mad while others say he's covering his shameful sin. After the sermon, a funeral is held for a young lady who recently passed away. Mr. Hooper decided to stay for the funeral and continues to wear the black veil . The people then begin to judge him for wearing this mysterious black veil. Even though most of the townspeople start making assumptions about Mr. Hooper and his black veil, he doesn't want others to question why he wears it. The only person who has the ¨right¨ to ask about the black veil was his fiance Elizabeth. Even though Elizabeth tries her best to find out the reason why Mr. Hooper never takes off his veil, she gives up and...
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...Nathaniel Hawthorne’s gothic short story “The Minister's Black Veil” is a critique of Puritan religious views because of the exposal of hypocrisy in the Puritan credences, while the Puritans value veracity with themselves and God through good doings and bad. When someone decides to follow through with this action the critique is displayed as the Puritan followers harshly judge and shun him, with judgment being one of the most deadly forbidden sins in Puritanism. The Puritan religion established itself in the 16th- 17th centuries predicating their sole purpose of life to serving God and proceeding to heaven, therefore evading sin in a very strict fashion valuing truth with oneself and The Creator. In “ The Minister's Black Veil” a once prominent and loved priest decides to abide by the true Puritan religion deciding to become truthful with himself and others relating to his secret...
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