As children, we were often told not to steal cookies from the cookie jar because it would result in our names being put on Santa’s “naughty” list. Although minor, the theft of a single cookie is an example of a sin. According to the dictionary, a sin is defined as a “violation of divine law”, but does a child’s desire for a chocolate chip sugary treat really fall under that category? Sin can be blatantly obvious or it can be secret. One of the most often reoccurring themes in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s works is the idea of secret sin. The short stories “The Minister’s Black Veil” and “Young Goodman Brown” are no exception to this common motif; despite the differences in the way sin is presented in both of these tales. The symbol of secret sin is represented both spiritually and physically in Hawthorne’s works allowing for his distaste of human hypocrisy to become evident.
One of Hawthorne’s very literal symbols of secret sin is the veil in “The Minister’s Black Veil”. The story describes a man, named Reverend Hooper, who one day appears before the congregation on a Sunday morning wearing a mysterious black veil that covers his entire face, excluding his chin. Members of the congregation begin to suspect that Hooper is hiding something behind his black veil. “The whole village of Milford talked of little else than Parson Hooper's black veil. That, and the mystery concealed behind it,” Hooper’s veil is a physical representation of human sin. In one of his sermons he preaches about secret sin, causing everyone in the room to feel uncomfortable while reciting their secret sins inside their heads. One of the Reverend’s thoughts is that, “those sad mysteries which we hide from our nearest and dearest, and would fain conceal from o...
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...is trait of human nature.
Secret sin and hypocrisy are interwoven into the plots of both “The Minister’s Black Veil” and “Young Goodman Brown”. Hawthorne teaches us that sin can take both a physical and spiritual form, as seen in the dark veil Reverend Hooper wears on his face. The story of Goodman Brown creates an idea that no one is exempt from sin and believing the opposite could potentially cause your destruction. Hawthorne’s view of human nature is clearly seen in the way he presents both of these stories. Both the congregation in Milford and the people of Salem share the same hypocritical traits that Hawthorne negates severely by causing those people to lead to the main character’s destruction. Hawthorne’s ultimate lesson, however, is that no one, not even the most innocent of children, will ever be able to secretly steal the cookie from the cookie jar.
Throughout Hawthorne’s short stories which examine secret sin based in Puritan societies, the protagonist, Mr. Hooper, a preacher in Milford, describes to his wife “Do not desert me though this veil must be between us here on earth” (32). Hooper who has arrived at a point where his community and wife have abandoned him while on his deathbed realizes that he is deserted because of his secret sin. This description of utter loneliness is in contrast with Hawthorne’s portrayal of Hooper, who once was a prominent priest in the Milford area. Hawthorne’s depiction of Mr. Hooper’s secret sin, taking form in the black veil alters his life indefinetely. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short stories, the author identifies secret sin as the cause of isolation, relationship struggles, and the community’s behavior.
Some say to sin is to go to hell, some say sin is a scourge of human nature, some say sin must be confessed, and some say sin must be forced out of people through punishment. The internal consequences of believing one has sinned are more intangible than social attitudes toward sin, but they appear just as often and in just as many different ways. The novel The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, exudes sin. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses symbolism to demonstrate the effects of sin not only on public reputation, but also on one’s psychological state. The Scarlet Letter A, which Hester Prynne wears on her chest as punishment for adultery, causes her anguish through ignominy but allows her to improve over time through the public nature of her disgrace. Chillingworth, the leech, punishes Reverend Dimmesdale for his concealed sin, and yet at the same time wastes away due to his own sin of sucking the life out of Dimmesdale. Pearl, the illegitimate child of Hester and Dimmesdale, embodies both the open and the concealed sin of her parents. She is unable to be normal because of this and takes on wild and elf-like qualities.
Nathaniel Hawthorne's knowledge of Puritanism and his close relationship with the religion has impacted his views on those in the society. Hawthorne is critical of the Puritans and he thinks that they are hypocrites for having rules and morals that they do not follow. He sees the underlying sin that others may not. Through his many writings he makes known to his readers that everyone is guilty of sin. The Puritan's main goal was to save themselves from the sin in the world, but Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays their morals and society as troublesome through his works, "Young Goodman Brown," "The Minister's Black Veil," and The Scarlet Letter.
In the Bible, sin is described as either lawlessness (The New American Bible for Catholics, 1 John 3:4) or as rebellion against God (The New American Bible for Catholics, Deuteronomy 9:7). In both short stories, “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Nathaniel Hawthorne introduced the subject of secret sin, quiet lawlessness or rebellion. By examining the theme of secret sin in each story, then comparing and contrasting this theme, one can glimpse how secret sin affects the life of a follower and the life of a leader in the church.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman Brown” Hawthorne conveys to readers a seemingly highly religious Puritan town. However, this town appears to be holding a devious truth. Throughout his work Hawthorne utilizes symbolism to convey the corrupt and evil truth behind the otherwise highly religious Puritan town. Through his main symbol usage of Faith’s pink ribbons, Faith’s name and appearances throughout the story, and the woods in which the story is set, readers see the façade slowly fade through the story and reveal the truth about the town.
This can be presumed because of Hawthorne’s upbringing in a Puritan family and his references to this same time period in his other works such as “Young Goodman Brown” (1835) and “The Scarlet Letter” (1850). This story tells the tale of a town terrified reaction to their minister, Mr. Hooper, who had “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 331). The town does not take well to this choice and rumors being to stir about it acting as a symbol of Mr. Hooper being “under the consciousness of secret sin” (Hawthorne 335) or having something to hide. Hooper repeatedly dismisses these accusations but continues to wear the layers of crape upon his face. Time goes by, Mr. Hooper ages, becomes ill, passes away, and is buried, all with this same mysterious black veil still draped upon his
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Minister’s Black Veil”, the reader is introduced to Parson Hooper, the reverend of a small Puritan village. One Sunday morning, Hooper arrived to mass with a black veil over his impassive face. The townspeople began to feel uneasy due to their minister’s unusual behavior. When Parson appeared, “Few could refrain from twisting their heads towards the door; many stood upright….” (Monteiro 2). Throughout the story Hooper does not take off the black veil and the townspeople, including Reverend Clark from a nearby village, treat him as if he were contagious disease. A veil typically is used to represent sorrow, but in this story it is used to represent hidden sins. No one exactly knows why he
Hawthorne uses symbolism to write a story that is left open to the reader’s interpretation. I do think Hawthorne wants the reader to be aware of sin in his/her own heart. I also think he wanted the reader to know that being aware of sin can help one better deal with life and to isolate oneself from society and reject all that have sinned can only lead to a lonely, miserable end.
In the light of Nathaniel Hawthorne's “The Black Veil”, and Jonathan Edward’s “Sinners”, evidence helps support Hawthorne's claim and theme for the story. The theme of Hawthorne’s Black Veil is everyone has a secret sin, even if they don't have a black veil. This claim can be made by Hawthorne’s intense and serious writing style. Hawthorne supports the idea in his story that everyone has a sin that no one, except for God, knows about and he uses the black veil in the story as a physical piece to show that the minister in the story is hiding his sins. In Jonathan Edward’s “Sinners”, Edwards makes a claim that to Fear God, because he is the only one holding you out of Hell. God knows what you have done, don't try and act innocent. The following paragraphs will help support Edward’s style and how it was more effective to reach out to readers
Hooper was asked to take off the veil and to explain why he wore the veil, he never seemed to explain or give a decent answer. This technique in Hawthorne's writing is commonly recognized as romanticism. In the story, he utilizes the black veil as a mysterious symbol which can fit anyone's imagination and assumptions. His black veil can be recognized as the sins he has committed or the sorrows inside him that are brought upon him by his townspeople. "Each person is certain that the preacher has discovered his or her own “hoarded iniquity of deed or thought” (Becnel 1). The assumptions that he had committed a sin by deed or thought made the people believe that that was why the veil was always
In “The Minister’s Black Veil” Nathaniel Hawthorne conveys the idea that sin, whether it be your sin, secret sin, or a known sin, can sometimes lead to isolation and gives insight into people’s true character. The main character Parson Hooper was met with many confrontations in his literal representation of secret sin by wearing a black veil. In the beginning of the story, as Hooper leaves the church he dreadfully realizes the darkness and effect of the black veil which would soon lead to his own isolation. Hawthorne writes, “catching a glimpse of his figure in the looking-glass, the black veil involved his own spirit in the horror with which it overwhelmed all others.” Parson Hooper was so hurt by the people’s reaction and afraid of the black
Hawthorne’s tale “Young Goodman Brown” draws the story of an exemplary Puritan who is tempted to sin by the devil. In Salem, a village recognized due to its hypocritical witch trials, and thus, demonstrating that sins exist hidden behind everyone’s “pure” life. Goodman’s sins start off when lying to Faith, his wife that represents pureness and light, leaving her alone while he gets into the woods. Then, ignoring his own sins hiding himself behind the trees whenever a “remarkable” Puritan figure of the village shows up in the dark and sinful woods. Led by the devil, Goodman Brown gathers up with sinners and people, who feign to undoubtedly follow what their God dictates, in a meeting where he is invited to be a sinner.
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.
...expresses the theme of sin and retribution. Goodman Brown’s life was destroyed because of his inability to face this truth and live with it. The story, which may have been a dream, planted the seed of doubt in Brown's mind, which consequently cut him off from his fellow man and leaves him alone and depressed. His life ends alone and miserable because he was never able to look at himself and realize that what he believed were everyone else's faults were his as well. Hawthorne was a writer way ahead of his time. His stories have been a testament to the timeless nature of his style. Although written by a Puritan, many of his stories challenge all of that which is puritan. In its day, this story raised controversy because of the risqué subject matter. Today, people can turn on the Disney channel and see adultery and satanic rituals. Society has been callused by the sands of time.
Since the apple was first bitten in the beginning of time, sin has played an important role in shaping humanity. The reactions of the sinners often play a large role in the effects of the crime. Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter captures the nature of sin and the message that revealed sin is rewarded while concealed sin is punished, using young Pearl, the scaffold, and the scarlet A itself as three clear symbols to explore this dark aspect of humanity.