The Minister's Black Veil Essay

One day a minister named Mr. Hooper decides to put on a black veil which resulted in the town of Milford taking a turn for the worse. This story takes a peek into Puritans ideology. Puritans had a strong belief in the importance of afterlife. They believed that all people were born into sin and could not do anything to change it. Many people were strict followers of the word because they wanted so desperately to be in God’s elect division. In the short story “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mr. Hooper wears the black veil as a teaching to in order to attempt to lead his congregation away from sin. The first lesson that is conveyed throughout the story is that one must see their own wrong doing before he can judge another

Likewise, Goodman Gray says he has “gone mad” (410). Each person of this small city has something to say about Mr. Hooper’s veil. However, not once does anyone ask him why he is wearing this black veil they just immediately judge him. The narrator tells us “Mr. Hooper had the reputation of a good preacher, but not an energetic one: he strove to win his people heavenward, by mild persuasive influences, rather than to drive them thither, by the thunders of the Word” so it can be assumed that he is a good man by his reputation and goals (410). He does not use the Word to scare them. Nor does Mr. Hooper hassle the congregation into doing what they should do. Instead he wants them to want to do as they should in order to make it into heaven. However, he does wears the veil for himself, but he wanted the people of Milford to follow him. Because he is a minister he is thought to be “pure” but him wearing the veil represents his sins and guilt. The people see him and automatically think that he has a secret sin because he is wearing the veil. Because he wears this veil he is able to face the truth of himself and he does not have to hide from his sins.

Mr. Hooper’s fiancée, Elizabeth, was torn by the veil. She pleaded with him “there is nothing terrible in this piece of crape, except that it hides a face which I am always glad to look upon … let the sun shine from behind the cloud” because she wanted so desperately to remove the veil. Elizabeth longs for him to go back to his normal self. She saw the goodness in him but with the veil he became a dark man. She still has a lot of love for him but eventually, she wants to leave him because of the veil. He says, “This dismal shade must separate me from the world: even you, Elizabeth, can never come behind it!” to show that there is nothing she can do that will make him remove the veil. He knows that the veil brings isolation (414). As does sin to everybody else because the sinful members of the congregation are left alone to sulk in the secrecy and guilt of their sins. Whereas the veil gives him an escape from his sins. He believes it is just something he has to do to lead by example. Even though Elizabeth leaves him he still wears the veil. He does not let it stop him from trying to accomplish what he plans to accomplish with his morality and the morality of the congregation. He is persistent and does not give up. Not only does his wife leave him. His ministry and friends leave as well. However, he never just takes off the veil like they all want him to do. The veil