Sin In The Minister's Black Veil

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Sin can appear in many forms, and no one is immune. Sin has been a topic for art and literature for as long as it has been a concept. In “The Minister’s Black Veil”, Hawthorne uses symbolism and metaphors to question our perception of sin. The black veil is a metaphor for sin and the minister represents impossible purity. The congregation and town’s reaction to the minister having possible sins displays unattainable expectations and cultural judgment to the taboos of sin. The topic of sin manifests itself in many forms, both in literature and in life. The variances are as individual as the person defining the sin. In “The Minister’s Black Veil” Hawthorne uses “the good Parson Hooper” as an example of what happens when those considered pious …show more content…
Upon seeing the veiled minister, his congregation immediately thinks “our parson has gone mad” (Hawthorne 390). The town immediately jumps to judgement with “indecorous confusion” and “pent-up amazement” at the sight of the veil and the minister’s possible impurities (Hawthorne 391). The town decides that the black veil represents guilt and shame, something they fear in their spiritual leader. The people forget that they themselves are sinners, and instead of reflecting on their own sins, they attempt to “penetrate the mystery” of the veil (Hawthorne 391). Hawthorne is suggesting that the “busy-bodies and impertinent people in the parish” are judgmental instead of reading the moral of the veil (Hawthorne 393). In “The Minister’s Black Veil”, Hawthorne portrays the biased in judgment placed on sin and those considered sinless. He shows a minister abstractly admitting sin and his congregation’s reaction to his statement. No one is without sin even those deemed holy or worthy of sharing the word of God and often judgement follows sin. The symbolism is moral to us all, whether we identify with the congregation or the minister. Emmett believes that sin is both individual and a cultural universal. The story uses metaphors and symbolism to
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