...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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...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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...“The Minister’s Black Veil" is about Mr. Hooper the minister in a town and starts to wear a mysterious black veil over his head, but his people are left to be questioned. At first, his people think of the veil as a prop for his sermon. His people then start assuming he wears the black veil because of the sins he may have committed, and he's embarrassed to prove to the world what he has done. There are different thoughts in his people, such as the minister being an awful person. "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, and as with strangers, so with my familiar friends." (10)...
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...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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...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 In literature, a symbol is something used to represent something else. The textbook defines a symbol as “a further use of metaphor” (194). However, unlike the metaphor, a symbol does not clearly state what it is being compared with. Instead, it “implies rather than explicitly states meaning” (194). Symbols need to be seen within context for the reader to truly understand their meanings. At times, symbols may hold more than one meaning. Their meaning may also change throughout the story. An example of a piece of literature that successfully uses symbols to create a plot is the short story The Minister's Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Minister’s Black Veil is a parable published in 1832. It was inspired by Mr. Joseph Moody, a clergyman in New England that wore a handkerchief on his face. Earlier in his life, Mr. Joseph Moody had accidentally killed one of his friends. From that day until the day of his death, he hid his face from everyone. Similarly, The Minister’s Black Veil is about Reverend Mr. Hooper’s decision to wear a black...
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...In the parable, “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Nathaniel Hawthorne uses characteristics to show American Romanticism. Throughout the parable, Hathorne continues to use symbols to create the theme. Hawthorne portrays romanticism by utilizing Mr. Hooper who chooses to wear a veil until death. The most important symbol in “The Minister’s Black Veil,” is the veil itself. The Puritan community feels uncomfortable seeing Mr. Hooper wearing the black veil, but Mr. Hooper believes everyone should wear one, thus creating American Romanticism. Throughout Hawthorne’s parable “The Minister's Black Veil,” he shows romanticism by addressing the reactions of the whole Puritan community and their concern about the wickedness of the black veil. Although the Puritan...
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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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...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 with...
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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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...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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...“The Minister’s Black Veil” Appendix Paragraph 1 Ex: Black veil Deconstruct: Words: Phrases: Astonishment towards Hooper? What does that mean? The Sexton was shocked while the townspeople were either suspicious or confused to why Reverend Hooper had a veil on a his face. He never wore something like this before, so it left many people to wonder what was going on. How is the church community like at this time? Think of sexton. What does a black veil represent? Black is a symbol for? Think of the way Hooper lectures. Persuasive and not through the thunder of words. 7 thunders of revelation (Word of God) Elizabeth as a character, what does she represent? Think of Groom and Bride? Deconstruct the fact Hooper hides are eyes. What does eyes mean? Why only show your mouth and chin? With a gloomy shade before him. What does this mean?...
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...In both The Minister’s Black Veil and The Scarlet Letter, there are many similarities between the two, portraying the views of Mr. Hawthorne. The stories are both centered around Puritan societies and how they view sins. In both stories the main characters, Hester in The Scarlet Letter and Mr. Hooper in The Minister’s Black Veil, wore symbols to show they committed sins. In The Scarlet Letter Hester was forced to wear a red A to show that she had committed the sin of adultery. “The scarlet letter burned on Hester Prynne's bosom. Here was another ruin, the responsibility of which came partly home to her” (14.9). Which is very similar to that of The Minister’s Black Veil, where Mr. Hooper voluntarily dons a black veil. In the story he tells his wife Elizabeth, "If it be a sign of mourning,...I, perhaps, like most other mortals, have sorrows dark enough to...
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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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