External and Internal Conflict in “The Minister’s Black Veil”
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Minister’s Black Veil” manifests a duality of conflict – both an external conflict and an internal conflict. It is the purpose of this essay to explore both types of conflict as manifested in the story.
In the opinion of this reader, the central conflicts – the relation between the protagonist and antagonist (Abrams 225) - in the tale are an internal one, a spiritual-moral conflict within the minister, the Reverend Mr. Hooper, and an external one with the world at large represented by the congregation. Wilson Sullivan in “Nathaniel Hawthorne” tells where the author got the idea of a conflict between good and evil:
He looked back, deeply back into America’s Puritan past, the era of the New England theocracy, when the conflict of good and evil, freedom and tyranny, love and hatred was more explicit, more rigidly defined, free of the ambiguities of an increasingly pluralistic society, governed by a shared morality (70).
At the outset of the tale, “The Minister’s Black Veil,” the sexton is tolling the church bell and simultaneously watching Mr. Hooper’s door, when suddenly he says, ``But what has good Parson Hooper got upon his face?'' The surprise which the sexton displayed is repeated in the astonishment of the onlookers: “With one accord they started, expressing more wonder. . .” The reason is this: “Swathed about his forehead, and hanging down over his face, so low as to be shaken by his breath” is a black veil. The 30 year old, unmarried parson receives a variety of reactions from his congregation:
``I can't really feel as if good Mr. Hooper's face was behind that piec...
... middle of paper ...
...lives and live uprightly. Such a request entails an ongoing, personal, individual conflict with evil as long as life continues.
WORKS CITED
Abrams, M. H. A Glossary of Literary Terms, 7th ed. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999.
Erskine, John. “Nathaniel Hawthorne.” In Leading American Novelists. New York: Books For Libraries Press, 1968.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Minister’s Black Veil.” Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library. http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=HawMini.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=1&division=div1
Kazin, Alfred. Introduction. Selected Short Stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Fawcett Premier, 1966.
Sullivan, Wilson. “Nathaniel Hawthorne.” In New England Men of Letters. New York: Macmillan Co., 1972.
Lathrop, G. P., ed. "Hawthorne, Nathaniel." The Reader's Encyclopedia of American Literature. Binghamton, New York: Vail-Ballou, 1962. 439-40. Print.
On pages 307 to 308 of Truman Capote 's novel In Cold Blood, Mrs. Meier is conversing with a friend right after Dick and Perry are guilty of the murder. Mrs. Meier was discussing her relationship with Perry and after the verdict she isolates herself from having to see him. However, Perry becomes “embraced by [his] shame” (308) and cries in front of her, and Mrs. Meier helps comfort him. Perry becomes vulnerable, and she holds his hand like a mother trying to console her child. After Mrs. Meier forces herself to leave Perry alone, she felt heartbroken since no one was there to comfort him. The next day Perry feels standoffish as if he never broke down the day before, and the guards take him to the penitentiary. Right before Perry left, he thanks
"Nathaniel Hawthorne." American Studies @ The University of Virginia. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma01/lisle/dial/hawthorne.html
In the Norton Reader 13th edition, readers will find an article “In Defense of Prejudice” by Jonathan Rauch. Rauch correctly tells us that rather than trying to get rid of prejudice, people should try and teach people to fight prejudice. Rauch says “stamping out prejudice really means forcing everyone to share the same prejudice, namely that of whoever is in authority” (575). Rauch believes that people don 't need to focus on destroying prejudices, but instead put effort into redirecting it so that they it is used to help people. That would require that everyone put prejudice against prejudice, which would allow everything to be put up to public criticism. Rauch lets it be know that he is gay, and a Jewish man. In
“Though the letter might as well have been sent to you; it was nothing but Mrs. Pontellier from beginning to end.” “ ‘Let me see it,’ requested the young woman, entreatingly” (Chopin, 156).
Flynn, K. & Hill, J. (2005). English language learners: A growing population. Mid-Research For Education And Learning, 1-11.
De Houwer, A. Two or more languages in early childhood: Some general points and practical recommendations (ERIC Digest). Washington, DC: ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics. (1999)
Napier notes the influence the strief in David and Carolyn 's relationship has had on the structure of the family. The roles and structure of the family has been tacitly agreed upon by all members as a way to help the parents avoid confronting their marital problems. In addition to Claudia 's role as a surrogate to the parents fighting, Don is placed as a supportive and therapeutic role in the family. He serves as the calming influence in the family and frequently defuses intense situations. The structure of the family is both an outcome of the parents dysfunction and the source of the problems that have led the family to
states with the best pay gap ratio. If pay equals respect and since women will make a unequal wage compared to men that. America, the world and better yet corporations do not respect women whatsoever and it shows in the amount of money that they earn in their lives.
“Nathaniel Hawthorne – Biography.” The European Graduate School. The European Graduate School, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014
Harris, Laurie, ed. "Nathaniel Hawthorne." The Literary World. Gale Research, n.d. Web. 7 Apr 2014.
Alliteration is a key aspect to how the reader experiences the poem; it especially gives interest toward alliteration of the letter T. This alliteration begins in the very first line “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant-” (1.1). The alliteration on the T is used three times within the first line; however, it does not stop there. Dickinson uses the “T” sound to continually draw back to the theme of truth. Dickinson, through the use of two stanzas, four lines each, uses quite a distinct rhyme scheme to organize her poem. The second and fourth lines of each stanza are clearly examples of end rhyme, by using words such as “lies” (1.2) and “surprise” (1.4). However, every single line is not an example of end rhyme. The first and third lines rhyme words such as “slant” (1.1) and “delight” (1.3); which can be described as near rhymes for they give a small sensation of rhyming. This rhyming pattern continues for the second stanza as well. The sequence of rhyming is not arbitrarily put into practice, rather, it also adds on to the truth theme. The near rhymes Dickinson stresses to not tell the truth in its entirety, but rather, convey a little bit of truth. This is being directly compared to the almost rhyming sensatio...
In relation to structure and style, the poem contains six stanzas of varying lengths. The first, second, and fourth stanzas
Possible selves represent the future. These boys suffer from a negative self-image and a bleak outlook on their future. Brainstorming about their future selves allows for the boys to get a picture of their hopes and fears about their future. These hope and fears about their future selves are brought to the surface were they can be dealt with. If the boys realistically look at their future and see that there is a hoped for successful future self, this can be used as goal to drive motivation. A motivational link between today and future can formed (in terms of a hoped for self) it can be harnessed to make decisions that can make the future self a reality. The motivational energy can be used for energize and direct actions so that attributes, behaviors, and attitudes can allow the future self to materialize (Reeve, Wiley, 2015).
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Prentice Hall Literature, The American Experience. New Jersey: Oscar F. Bluemner, 1915. 266-67.