Connotation: The implied meaning of a word. The concept can be very complicated because there are many words with the same definition, but the all can have different connotations. For example Mrs. McIver may call me childish, youthful, and childlike; all three words have the same definition; however, when she calls me childish and childlike she is calling me immature and obnoxious, but when she calls me youthfull she is calling me full of life and energized. As you can see, every word can mean the same, but they’re completely different. I especially experienced this in writing my research paper. Often times I would develope a sentence, but it just did not come out right; therefore, I would find synonym that would give off a new aura or vibe. This can also be seen in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil.” When it comes to the topic of nuances, we all can …show more content…
Another example can be seen whenever Hawthorne refers to it as the black veil. He refers to it a great deal of times as the black veil, leaving the audience used to the term and making it second nature. At the beginning of the story black veil seemed bad, but the farther we got into the story and the deeper the meaning behind the veil grew, the term symbolised something less negative. Moreover, as the story grew the way he presented the veil seemed more positive; for example in line 370, Hawthorne refers to the veil as a sable veil. Instead of calling it a negative/neutral black veil, he calls it sable. Sable still means black but it has an implied meaning that is positive. Sable seems more warm-hearted and kind, where black seems evil, or
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards and “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne are both 1700s Puritan works of literature with similarities, as well as differences, from their theme to tone and to what type of literary work they are. Edwards and Hawthorne are both expressing the topics of how people are all sinners, especially in regards to their congregation and that questions their congregation’s faith.
In the passages “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards and “Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne are both powerful text. Edwards used more of an effective style to get his point through. He used a harsh and blunt tone to prove the God is a powerful man and can strike at any time but does not. This is why his text is better that Hawthornes.
Hawthorne's text was more effective because, he taught his congregation a lesson. They saw that when you sin and do things that you aren't supposed to do it will reveal itself soon enough. You will have to repay for your sins, which hawthorne wore for the rest of his life. They described the black veil as a grievous affliction and a sign of mourning. Edward’s text was nothing but yelling and offending his congregation. No lesson was really taught like it was in “The Minister’s Black
Throughout his literary endeavors, Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes symbolism to present a certain theme that pertains to human nature and life. In his works, The Scarlet Letter and "The Minister's Black Veil", Hawthorne uses symbolism to present a common theme pertaining to religion; that though manifested sin will ostracize a person from society, un-confessed sin will destroy the soul.
In “The Minister’s Black Veil” Mr. Hooper shocks his townspeople by putting a veil permanently on his face. The veil is a paradox of concealment and revelation (Carnochan 186). Although it is concealing Mr. Hooper’s face, it is made to reveal the sins in society. The townspeople first believed that the veil was being used to hide a sin that Mr. Hooper had committed. Mr. Hooper says that the veil is supposed to be a symbol of sins in general, however the townspeople ignore the message and still focus on his sinfulness. The townspeople know that they have sinned, but they use Mr. Hooper as their own “veil” to hide their sins. Because the townspeople are so caught up on his sins, they fail to figure on the message behind Mr. Hooper’s action and
Father Hooper wears a black veil over his eyes and nose, never revealing the reason of the veil to a soul. At times the sexton would insinuate a reason behind the veil but never revealing the answer to the mystery. Father Hooper is a very imaginative and creative individual to innovate the idea of wearing a black veil to express an idea. He is angry towards the response of the veil to his parishioners, since they treated him differently with the veil compared to without it. Most of the parishioners are clueless to why he wears it and some try to imagine why he would ever want to wear it, but there are only ideas and arguments to why a minister would wear it.
Hawthorne, after exposing the surprised people to the sable veil, develops the protagonist through a description of some of his less exotic and curious characteristics:
...'s Black Veil." Hawthorne’s story warns that secrets can destroy the relationships cherished the most in life. Hawthorne’s parable uses symbols to give the story deeper meaning. Hawthorne also uses suggestion to create a mood of mystery and darkness.
The Minister’s Black Veil was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story was published in 1836. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1806 in Salem Massachusetts. He has an ancestor named John Hathorne, which was a judge in the Salem witch trials that was never repented for his actions. Nathaniel changed his last name from Hathorne to Hawthorne to hide his relations. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1825. His fiction works were considered part of the dark romanticism. His themes often center on morality, sin, and redemption (Clendenning).
Hawthorne, after exposing the surprised people to the sable veil, develops the protagonist through a description of some of his less exotic and curious characteristics:
Hawthorne’s theme is developed by the saddening, laid back style he uses. The saddening mood that Hawthorne creates helps to develop the theme, which is people will judge you if you change your appearance.Also Hawthorne was very descriptive, such as in this line “swathed about his forehead, and hanging down over his face, so low as to be shaken by his breath, Mr.Hooper had on a Black veil”(Hawthorne,29-30). The precise description causes a decent image in your head to form.
Furthermore, the literary term is able to further the comprehension of what the author
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.
Abrams, M. H. A Glossary of Literary Terms, 7th ed. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999.
Abrams, M. H. A Glossary of Literary Terms, 7th ed. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999.