Background Influences In The Minister's Black Veil

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Hawthorne’s background influences in The Minister’s Black Veil Although producing literary success, Nathaniel Hawthorne lead a rather lonely and introverted life. He was tended to avoid the public eye by keeping himself busy with his writings. He also seemed ashamed of his lineage and Puritan background. By shying away from others and his family circumstances, he can be compared to Mr. Hooper from The Minister's black veil written by Hawthorne himself. In the short story, Mr.Hooper hid his face with a black veil as a metaphor to how we tend to hide our sins. Similarly, Hawthorne hid parts of his life from others. In the Minister’s Black Veil, the main character Mr. Hooper suddenly began wearing a black veil covering his face. Many of the townspeople were frightened and confused by the veil and even avoided him. At first, the intention of his veil was unclear but later it began apparent that it served as a metaphor to how we all hide sins from our peers. Hooper continued to wear the veil and lived a quiet, low profile similar to Hawthornes. Just like Hawthorne, Hooper was also dedicated to his profession and did not allow anything to distract from his job. …show more content…

Besides the death of his father and acquiring a temporarily crippling leg injury, his childhood was calm and generally happy. However, one part of his family’s background seemed to haunt him. His ancestors were not only involved in the religious persecutions, but were also judges in the Salem witch trials. Having such a bloody and murderous history haunted Hawthorne. To separate himself from this dark legacy, he changed the spelling of his last name from Hathorne to Hawthorne. Adding a W was his way of disapproving his relatives actions. By doing so, he hid a part of himself from others eyes just like how Mr. Hooper covered his face from others with the

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