What Does The Veil Symbolize In The Minister's Black Veil

Words: 452
Pages: 2
Open Document
The Black Veil
“There was but one thing remarkable in his appearance” (266). Nathaniel Hawthorne in “The Minister’s Black Veil” uses a veil to symbolize death and sin. Mr. Hooper, the preacher in Milford, comes wearing a black veil across his face at a Sunday sermon. Hawthorne hopes to have the reader understand that death and sin affects all. The congregation of the church are captivated by the veil and it is hard to keep from looking at. By using the black veil as a symbol for death, Hawthorne can captivate readers and create mystery in the ongoing story of mortality.
Death follows everyone, all the time. The black veil seemed to always be around death: “The bearers went heavily forth, and the mourners followed, saddening all the street, with the dead before them, and Mr. Hooper in his black veil behind” (270). The dead are in front of the veil, as well as the alive. Each person …show more content…
Hooper's black veil as a symbol of death, but he also reveals it as a symbol for the cover for deep sin. Almost like how makeup covers the dark spots on a woman's face. A human's sins are the “dark spots” and the makeup is portrayed as the veil: “From that time no attempts were made to remove Mr. Hooper’s black veil, or, by a direct appeal, to discover the secret which it was supposed to hide” (272). Just as one does not try to remove a woman's makeup to show what she looks like underneath, one does not try to remove the black veil to discover the deep sin.
The black veil is worn by all who are mortal. In “The Minister’s Black Veil”, every person hides things and has sin that they don’t want people to know about it: “Then deem me a monster, for the symbol beneath which I have lived, and die!” (275). The minister hides his sin, just as all mortals do. These sins can be considered ungodly and possibly works of the devil. The devil is greatly feared and most who are in contact with it try to hide it. Especially Mr. Hooper since he is a
Show More

Related Documents: What Does The Veil Symbolize In The Minister's Black Veil

What Does The Minister's Black Veil Symbolize

The parable,"The Minister's black veil", discusses characteristics that show feelings towards other people, civilization, religious reasons, and individual freedom. These characteristics are seen in the short story "The Minister's black veil." The first characteristic is “Civilization”. An example from the story would be “on a nearer view it seemed to consist of two folds of crape, which entirely concealed his features, except the mouth and chin, but probably did not insert his sights, further…

Words 946 - Pages 4

What Does The Minister's Black Veil Symbolize

themselves as sinners. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote the shot parable “The Minister’s Black Veil” to show how people hide themselves from the rest of the world. Reverend Hooper is the main character in this story. He wears a black veil wherever he goes to hide his sins. People of his town start to fear what he is doing and think it’s odd. People become so afraid of themselves that they want to hide from the rest of the world. The black veil has quite a few symbols to it in the story that support its theme…

Words 428 - Pages 2

The Minister's Black Veil Essay

“We cannot forever hide the truth about ourselves, from ourselves” (John McCain). In “The Minister’s Black Veil,” the author implies that all of mankind has secret sins even though some pretend to have no regrets or wrongdoings. Mr. Hooper, a well-known and respected minister, decides to wear a black veil that causes discomfort to those around him. The small article of clothing forces bystanders to confront their own wrongdoings and causes Mr. Hooper to be outcasted from society. After living a lonely…

Words 1179 - Pages 5

Essay Comparing Young Goodman Brown And The Minister's Black Veil

Compare and Contrast Young Goodman Brown and The Minister's Black Veil Young Goodman Brown and The Minister's Black Veil can be argued to be very similar or very different. Why, the both focus on the same topic. Evil and its appearance in the world. How it's both everywhere yet nowhere. Except one shows how it's in plain sight while the other shows how it's hidden. Too very different concepts. So are they even similar? Why yes, yes they are. It is very possible for two stories to be about the same…

Words 586 - Pages 3

Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God And The Minister's Black Veil

The themes for the two texts, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards, and “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, are both similar and different in their own unique ways. They both share the idea of a religious message, while expressing it in their own different ways. The texts also display a preacher teaching this lesson, just in different ways. The texts also share a style and tone of writing, while still being different. These two texts share many similarities and…

Words 684 - Pages 3

Minister's Black Veil Meaning

This analysis discusses “The Minister’s Black Veil” and the symbolic meaning behind it as well as the theme. The veil was used as a symbol in order to represent a deeper meaning which Hawthorne has intended to present to his readers. When reading the story, Hawthorne didn’t mention the veil being evil, nor said anything about it, but it is intended that way in order for the reader to try to find the deeper meaning of it while reading. Not only did the veil cause disruption amongst his town, but…

Words 1358 - Pages 6

Compare And Contrast Young Goodman Brown And The Minister's Black Veil

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short stories “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Minister’s Black Veil” there is an overarching motif of unpardonable sin. Hawthorne, born in Salem Massachusetts in 1804, was born into a struggling Puritan family in which he had never met his father, who died when he was a young boy. The tragedies and hurdles he faced as a child created the vivid imagination and overall grim and unpleasant mood that is present in his writing. Although these stories have very distinctive plots…

Words 1798 - Pages 8

Minister's Black Veil

The Minister's Black Veil is a prevailing advocate for the gloomy genre of American Romanticism. Written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the story focuses on the individual and his inner world . In the same way, his story integrates symbolism and morality to reveal the terrible reality of human nature. Subsequently, a plethora of romantic references are created throughout the story. These references symbolize the psychological effects of guilt and sin as well as conflicts between good and evil. Melancholy…

Words 1231 - Pages 5

analysis paper final

Jason Carter English 110 Amanda Nicholson 11/9/14 The Minister’s Black Veil: Literary Analysis Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “The Black Veil,” symbolizes how people react to people they do not understand. ”The Black Veil” tells the story of how a minister dons a black veil and it changes his life. We learn about human nature and how we change ourselves for different people. The story opens with the minister entering the church to do his Sunday sermon and as all heads turned toward the minister…

Words 903 - Pages 4

The Pit And The Minister's Black Veil Macabre

Pendulem, and the Minister’s black Veil contain examples of macabre events that add suspense to the short stories. Washington Irving uses the macabre event of Tom’s wife being killed by the devil.The Story is about a poor man named Tom Walker that ends up selling his soul to the devil in exchange of wealth.Tom had a wife that which he did not get along with very well, he ends up not accepting the offer the first time simply because accepting the offer from the devil is exactly what his wife wants him…

Words 1248 - Pages 5