I disagree with Edgar Allen Poe's argument that the meaning of Hawthorne’s "The Minister's Black Veil" is that Mr. Hooper has committed a "crime of dark dye" against the woman whose funeral he conducts. Mr. Hooper was trying to use the Veil as a symbol to teach the townspeople that sin is part of life and all humans wear an invisible veil, which is shown in the quote "The people trembled, though they but darkly understood him when he prayed that they, and himself, and all of mortal race, might be ready, as he trusted this young maiden had been, for the dreadful hour that should snatch the veil from their faces." . He wore a veil to bear the sins of all the other people not because he committed a sin. The obvious interpretation is that Mr. …show more content…
Hooper's first appearance with the veil coincides with the funeral of the young lady giving rise to speculations. It is plausible that Mr. Hooper had chosen that setting to provoke the curiosity of the townspeople. The speculation that the corpse shuddered is an effort by Hawthorne to enhance the mystery. Similar dark speculations in the story indicate a refusal on the part of the townspeople to face their own sins. Mr. Hooper was a man of superior intellect and he refuses to answer the townspeople. His refusal to remove the veil cannot be explained as an admission of guilt. The minister has chosen to wear the veil to make the townspeople realize their own sins by removing their hidden Veils. He who knows the truth has no need to offer explanation. He refused to take the veil off because in his mind the veil is just a mere symbol and the real message is for people to think about their own sins. The author intentionally uses a third person narrator to tell the story, so the reader can never know the true intentions of the minister. Hawthorne perplexes the reader and leaves room for interpretation. The setting of the story is the town of Milford in New England's puritan society with the main themes of sin and morality. Mr. Hooper’s behavior is an allegation of the Puritan image of original sin. The use of the veil in this setting does not represent any sins committed by Mr. Hooper, but the basic sinful nature of all
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards and “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne are both 1700s Puritan works of literature with similarities, as well as differences, from their theme to tone and to what type of literary work they are. Edwards and Hawthorne are both expressing the topics of how people are all sinners, especially in regards to their congregation and that questions their congregation’s faith.
Mr. Hooper the minister’s is perceived to be a “self-disciplined man”. When he was wearing the veil people in his village believed that he went insane and is guilty of a dark and terrible sin. “He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face” (1253).The author explains how Mr.Hooper would wear a mask to hide his sins and face which cause people to believe he was awful. The veil becomes the center of discussion for all of those in the congregate the mask all the people wore around others to hide their sins and embraces there guilty. Elizabeth in the story ends her relationship with Mr. Hooper because he will not remove the veil that he's wearing. The veil actually symbolize for the puritans belief that all people souls are black from
Mr. Hooper in “The Minister’s Black Veil” puts on a veil to symbolize “those sad mysteries which we hid[e] from our nearest and dearest, and would fain conceal from our own consciousness, even forgetting that the Omniscient can detect them” (Hawthorne 310). From the moment the townsfolk see the black veil they become very frightened and intimidated by Mr. Hooper, the citizens felt that “the black veil seemed to hang down before his heart” (Hawthorne 308). People became very frightened even the “most innocent girl, and the man of hardened breast” (Hawthorne 312) Mr. Hooper puts this crape on as a “symbol of a fearful secret between him and them” and because of this society chastises him and makes him out to be a...
He was trying to prove a point that everyone is very judgmental and cruel. Nobody in the town asked why Mr. Hooper had the veil on, they all had just assumed. And that was Hawthorne’s message that everyone was judgmental and cruel. This quote supports my claim because of the fact that it was one of the consequences Mr. Hooper had to face in wearing the veil. Because of Mr. Hooper wearing the veil, he had the entire town talking and speaking and about him. It did worry people because of him wearing it but you can tell in the story that wasn’t his intentions. Everyone just started with rumors and went along with
Hooper as someone who “‘has changed himself into something awful,’” just by wearing the veil (1312). It is unknown whether he is blocking something out or keeping something to himself. When the people of Milford first see the black veil on the minister’s face, they begin to question and look in disbelief. “‘Something must surely be amiss with Mr. Hooper’s intellects,’” says a man (1314). What was strange from this was the effect of the unexpected change, which the black veil “‘throws its influence over [Mr. Hooper’s] whole person, and makes him ghost-like from head to toe’” (1314). It could be that the minister is hiding something. During a funeral for a young lady, he stoops over the coffin, and “the veil hung straight down from his forehead” (1314). If the woman is not dead, and if “her eye-lids had not been closed for ever,” she would have seen the minister’s face (1314). A superstitious woman supposedly sees the coffin shake when this happened, and Mr. Hooper “so hastily caught the black veil” (1314). In addition, other details of the story seem to link him to the death of the young maiden. He conducts her funeral on the very day he first wears the veil, and there is the speculation “‘that the minister and the maiden’s spirits were walking hand in hand’” (1314). However, a superstitious old woman says this, making it hard to believe. Mr. Hooper could have been hiding something from the people, what many though to be a shameful
Hooper grabs the veil and tenaciously clings to it, pulling it back over his face. The minister of Westbury is stunned and says, “Dark old man! With what horrible crime upon your soul are you now passing to the judgment?” He does not give an answer about his own sin or past but merely says to all present how ill he has been treated simply because of his choice to wear the veil. He tells them they should not have trembled at him but at each other. He says he looks around him and “lo! On every visage a black veil” which indicates that everyone is harboring secret sin. With this, he dies and they allow him to be buried with the veil covering his
“Hooper's veil was a badge of shame for the illicit relationship he had had with the young lady whose funeral is described in the story.” (Montbriand) He wasn't wearing the veil because he had wanted to. Mr. Hooper wore the veil to hide the secrets he had and he did not want to speak to others about the situation. People ran after trying to force him out of his shell. “Are you ready for the lifting of the veil that shuts in time for eternity?” (hawthorne) They told him he could not stay living in the past and that he needed to move
In the short story “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Nathaniel Hawthorne reveals that Mr. Hooper hides his true identity from his congregation. Mr. Hooper knows his congregation makes mistakes but they hide it; Hooper shows his people that he was hiding something by covering his face. He sacrifices his reputation in the community, and his relationship with Elizabeth. Hooper wants his congregation to know that it’s okay to accept your sin.
At the beginning of the story, Mr. Hooper walks into the church wearing the veil. His congregation was surprised to see such a terrible sight. Mr. Hooper states, “If it be a sign of mourning, I, perhaps, like other mortals have sorrows dark enough to be typified by a black veil,” (Hawthorne 29). Hawthorne explains that when Mr. Hooper tells Elizabeth that he is no different than any other person, he can show everyone that he has sinned through the veil. Mr. Hooper is a human just like everyone else, but he is held to higher standards because he is the minister of the church; this explains why his congregation was shocked to see their minister wearing the black veil.
“The earthly symbol (the veil) must be construed side by side with an abstract or spiritual meaning (the presence of evil in all life).”(Timmerman 29) What that all means is that the black veil symbolizes the evil in life. Since its black and black symbolizes badness because it's dark and darkness is bad because you can see stuff in black and what you can’t see can scary you. “Mr. Hooper himself states unequivocally that his veil is “a type and a symbol.” ( Timmerman 29) That all means that even Mr. Hooper said that it was a symbol of evil. When the people saw Mr. Hooper they automatically thought that he did something because he was wear the veil and the veil look dark and depressing. “The Minister's Black Veil” is an interesting variation on Hawthorne’s theme of spiritual isolation.” (Barry 16) That means that the black veil is a symbol of spiritual isolation because Mr. Hooper was isolated because of the black veil because people didn’t want anything to do with him because he look different. Also people were scared of him because he look very scary and he was alway depressed. “He has been very largely the scapegoat for a conventional morality the could not tolerate the existence of a public conscience.”(Barry 17) That all means that he was the “scapegoat” which means he was blamed for everything if
The Minister, however, acknowledges neither his own strange appearance nor the stunned and questioning whispering of the townspeople. As a preacher, Hooper delivers a sermon that was as powerful as the rest but, due to his veil, the people felt a certain sadness and mysteriousness in his words. Following the sermon, the townspeople continued to gossip about the mystery of the veil. Mr. Hooper continued to act as always, greeting the children and saluting his neighbors. But, he was met with bewildered looks as the crowd avoided him. As he turned, a sad smile crept from underneath his veil. At this point in the plot of The Minister’s Black Veil, there is a definite turn in the way the people of the town perceive their minister and is seen throughout the story such as in the setting of funeral and wedding. It is the uncertainty that makes the reaction of the townspeople all the more telling of their intrinsic sin and hypocritical nature. While speculating as to what horrific crime the minister must have committed, they overlook their own nature of sin, both large and minor. In times of need, the minister is the one who is willingly called upon, but circumvented when all is good. The townspeople shun him only because of a black veil and in doing so reveal how shallow and unappreciative their faith truly
Hooper by the people of Milford’ as well as how I might have reacted had this happened to my clergyman. I felt that the townspeople acted in a terribly inappropriate manner towards Mr. Hooper’s emblem; regrettably I also realized that I am guilty of acting in the same manner. I travel frequently and I find myself, like the people of Milford, become uneasy when faced with fellow travelers who are wearing turbans or veils. It is amazing how a piece of cloth seems to change fellow humans “into something awful… (this) the effect of a simple piece of cloth” (The Minister’s Black Veil). Mr. Hooper says it best when he cries out on his death bed “What has made this piece of cloth so awful?” (The Minister’s Black Veil). I may brush it up to modern society, but the fact of the matter is that a folded piece of cloth does not change who that person is. As cliché as it is we judge books by their covers, change the cloth and you change the perception of that person to
The theme in this story is that misfortunes come to those who do not seek it, and to those who are pure. In addition, the black veil represents: those who do not have a say in anything, and those who do not have anything to live for. Mr. Hooper wore the black veil in symbolizing those who have lost or live their life unjustly. While he is trying to represent those, his life becomes unjust. In the article written by William Freedman says “Some of the townspeople are amazed, others awed; some are fearful or intimidated, others perplexed or defensively wise, while yet others are inspired or made hopeful… . Both conjure back into the simple materials of literature and earth a power beyond. They do so, as Teufelsdrockh recommends, by planting "into the deep infinite faculties of man, his Fantasy and Heart" (Carlyle 225)-Hooper by means of the veil, the artist by means of the symbol the veil represents.”, which demonstrates how the townspeople took the fact that Mr. Hooper would never reveal his face. In the same manner, some took it lightly as many live their life ‘lightly’ or joyfully. However, many were frightened by the black veil and the person wearing it, being Mr. Hooper; this represents those who live their life frightened by the world or those who live their life mourning the loss or lack of their belongings or love. In all, the theme represents those who live and how they live their own individual
The minister's black veil is a story that it is characteristic that are unique to the romantic period, particularly those who are directly connected with gothic literature. That the possibility of inner terror, and curious nature of an impossible problem, also have a lot to do with the romantic characteristic in the story. one is also the importance of individual freedom I the sense that each person has the right to choose for themselves.
From the beginning of the story, Mr. Hooper comes out wearing a black veil, which represents sins that he cannot tell to anyone. Swathed about his forehead, and hanging down over his face, Mr. Hooper has on a black veil. Elizabeth urged, “Beloved and respected as you are, there may be whispers that you hid your face under the consciousness of secret sin” (Hawthorne 269). His fiancé says that in the black veil there may be has a consciousness of secret sin. Also, he is a parson in Milford meeting-house and a gentlemanly person, so without the veil, Hooper would be a just typical minister, “guilty of the typical sins of every human, but holier than most” (Boone par.7). He would be a typical minister who is guilty of the typical sins of every human without the black veil. Also, Boone said, “If he confesses his sin, the community can occur” (Boone par.16). If he confesses his sin about the black veil, all of the neighbors will hate him. Last, he said, “so, the veil is a saying: it is constantly signifying, constantly speaking to the people of the possibility of Hooper’s sin” (Boone par.11). Mr. Hooper’s veil says that he is trying to not tell the sins about the black veil. In conclusion, every people have sins that cannot tell to anyone like Mr. Hooper.