Ambiguity of “The Minister’s Black Veil” There is no end to the ambiguity in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil”; this essay hopes to explore this problem within the tale. In New England Men of Letters Wilson Sullivan relates the purpose of Hawthorne’s veiled image: He sought, in Hamlet’s telling words to his palace players, “to hold the mirror up to nature,” and to report what he saw in that mirror – even his own veiled image – without distortion. “Life is made up,”, Hawthorne said, “of marble and mud.” In the pages of his finest works, both marble and mud are held in a just, unique, and artistic balance(95). Hyatt H. Waggoner in “Nathaniel Hawthorne” testifies that Hawthorne’s ambiguity has proven to be an asset in this contemporary era when readers like such a quality in fiction: Since ours is an age that has found irony, ambiguity, and paradox to be central not only in literature but in life, it is not surprising that Hawthorne has seemed to us one of the most modern of nineteenth century American writers. The bulk and general excellence of the great outburst of Hawthorne criticism of the past decade attest to his relevance for us(54). Henry James in Hawthorne mentions how allegorical Hawthorne is, and how allegory should be expressed clearly: I frankly confess that I have, as a general thing, but little enjoyment of it, and that it has never seemed to me to be, as it were, a first-rate literary form. . . . But it is apt to spoil two good things – a story and a moral, a meaning and a form; and the taste for it is responsible for a large part of the forcible-feeding writing that has been inflicted upon the world. The only cases in whi... ... middle of paper ... ...es/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=1&division=div1 James, Henry. Hawthorne. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997. Kazin, Alfred. Introduction. Selected Short Stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Fawcett Premier, 1966. Lang, H.J.. “How Ambiguous Is Hawthorne.” In Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966. “Nathaniel Hawthorne.” The Norton Anthology: American Literature, edited by Baym et al. New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 1995. Sullivan, Wilson. “Nathaniel Hawthorne.” In New England Men of Letters. New York: Macmillan Co., 1972. Waggoner, Hyatt H. “Nathaniel Hawthorne.” In Six American Novelists of the Nineteenth Century, edited by Richard Foster. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1968.
“Nathaniel Hawthorne – Biography.” The European Graduate School. The European Graduate School, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014
Eisenhower was born on October 14, 1890, in Denison, Texas. Growing up, he was the third of seven boys in a strict, religious family. In 1892, his family moved to Kansas where he spent the rest of his adolescent years. After being accepted into West Point in 1911, Eisenhower turned to sports to pass his time there. He joined the varsity football team, playing running back and linebacker (Banks 4). He graduated from West Point in the middle of his class, and with a less-than-average disciplinary rating. Six years after his graduation, he met his future wife Mamie Doud while stationed in Texas and married her in 1920.
On October 14, 1890, Mrs. Ida Elizabeth Eisenhower gave birth to her third son, Dwight David. He was a younger brother to Arthur B. and Edgar A. Eisenhower. Dwight was born in Denison, Texas, where his family was living at the time.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writings have been read for many years, and many of his books have been on the required reading lists in the school curricula. His works convey themes of psychology and human nature through his crafty use of allegory and symbolism. These were essential tools in addressing topics that were too radical to be publicly addressed in the nineteenth century (Magill 1). He used these techniques to criticize some part of society, which is evident in his use of satire in the religious world (Hilton 1). Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writings impacted his contemporary society, despite the fact that his criticism and ideas weren’t widely popular and accepted.
While at West Point, Dwight graduated in a class that had 59 future generals. After he graduated, on July 1, 1916, his wedding day, Dwight D. Eisenhower was promoted to become a first lieutenant. Through his early military career he had to move from post to post in Texas, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. During World War I, Dwight was appointed to run a tank training center at Camp Colt in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Following World War I he was appointed a captain in 1918. After working up in rankings over the years, he was promoted in 1920 to become a major.
He did his chores like he was asked to around the house, he had a passion for hunting and fishing, while he was enjoying baseball and football. Ike graduated from Abilene High School in 1909. Eisenhower later went on and married Marie “Mamie” Geneva Doud in 1916. The family traveled both for pleasure and to revisit the sites of past of great succeed. He had a great passion of what he loved doing until he died. He was being president, getting wars ready to fight and being a full time dad, president and husband.
Dwight D. Eisenhower was born on October 14, 1890 in Denison, Texas. His parents were David and Ida Stover Eisenhower. He was their third son. In 1891, when Dwight was about one, his father moved the family to Abilene, Kansas. "Little Ike", as he would be called, grew up in a small, white farm house. Ike's father was a failed shopkeeper; he became a mechanic at a creamery. His parents were devout Mennonites and vocal pacifists. Ike's mother, Ida, had a very large influence on his life due to her preaching about enthusiasm for life and her belief in worldly success and divine spirituality. Due to the small nature of his town, Ike became very active in his town politically. He marched in a rally during the night for the 1896 election. His small
Dwight D. Eisenhower had five brothers and they all had the same nickname “Ike.” The whole country knew him by his nickname Ike. Eisenhower was the 34th president of the United States. He ran for the election in the 1952 presidential race. Adlai Stevenson ran for the Democratic Party after being nominated by Harry S Truman who was not very popular during this time period due to the Korean War. Eisenhower won the presidential campaign by a landslide due to his war hero status. He was the supreme Commander of Operation during the allied force attack on the Nazi invaded Europe. In 5 years Eisenhower went from being a low level lieutant in the Philippines to being the
Dwight was born on October 14th, 1890. As a child, Ike had to work very hard and was very willing to work for his family’s sake. Dwight moved from Abilene, Kansas to Denison, Texas when he was just a very young child. He lived in a tiny house and worked in
... writer who includes many similar elements in his works. These elements of writing which can be found in so many of his stories come together to make a style which cannot and most likely will not ever be seen in the works of anyone besides Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne distinguishes himself through the use of descriptive sentences which include complex vocabulary and contain a formal tone, the incorporation of a dark/gothic tone, also using characters who fall under scrutiny and alienation, and also the use of autobiographical elements. These are just five of the many connections which can be made between the three stories which were discussed in this paper. Also, although there were only three stories which were analyzed it is more than likely that if one read any of the other stories which Hawthorne wrote in his day than the same findings would be made.
Since ours is an age that has found irony, ambiguity, and paradox to be central not only in literature but in life, it is not surprising that Hawthorne has seemed to us one of the most modern of nineteenth century American writers. The bulk and general excellence of the great outburst of Hawthorne criticism of the past decade attest to his relevance for us (54).
Waggoner, Hyatt H., "Nathanial Hawthorne," Six American Novelists of the Nineteenth Century, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, 1969, pp. 47, 69, 73, 85
"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 short story, “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the Mr. Hooper’s black veil and the words that can describe between him and the veil. Hawthorne demonstrates how a black veil can describe as many words. Through the story, Hawthorne introduces the reader to Mr. Hooper, a parson in Milford meeting-house and a gentlemanly person, who wears a black veil. Therefore, Mr. Hooper rejects from his finance and his people, because they ask him to move the veil, but he does not want to do it. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil”, Mr. Hooper’s black veil symbolizes sins, darkness, and secrecy in order to determine sins that he cannot tell to anyone, darkness around his face and neighbors, and secrecy about the black veil.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Prentice Hall Literature, The American Experience. New Jersey: Oscar F. Bluemner, 1915. 266-67.