Sin In The Minister's Black Veil By Nathaniel Hawthorne

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How much does sin affect people? To most it is a fleeting thought in one’s mind that is consistent, yet not urgent. For some it has no affect at all, and others to the point it would cause someone to gouge out an eye. In “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, sin is what drives Mr. Hooper to wear a black veil over his face for the rest of his life. This is the extreme Mr. Hooper is willing to go because of sin. To Mr. Hooper this veil represents sin. Mr. Hooper wears the veil to create a whole analogy of the effects of sin, to show the effect sin has on people, and his choice of God over the world. It is dark, it is mysterious, and it causes people to react in various ways. Mr. Hooper uses these attributes of the veil to compare …show more content…
Hooper that he chooses God over the world. The parson’s commitment to the veil is unwavering. No matter how many times Elizabeth, the congregation, or even other elders of the church attempted to persuade Mr. Hooper to remove the veil he refused. Valuing God’s opinion more than mortals, Mr. Hooper feels as though wearing the veil is something that brings him closer to God. Although what it represents draws Mr. Hooper farther from God, the act drew him closer. “It shook with his measured breath as he gave out the psalm; it threw its obscurity between him and the holy page, as he read the Scriptures; and while he prayed, the veil laid heavy on his uplifted countenance.” (412). Hawthorne uses the veil to literally impair the parson. In coordination with the slight impairment, the veil also serves as a physical reminder to Mr. Hooper of how sin can separate him from God. By making the decision to wear the veil Mr. Hooper excommunicates himself from the rest of the town, in turn he lives in his own sphere. The parson gives up his previous way of life in an act of defiance towards the status quo of only practicing what is comfortable as a christian. To Mr. Hooper being absent from this world is to be present with God, which is of utmost
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