The human psyche has a desire for seeing others in pain. The dark romantics used this to create a legacy of literature that terrified their readers to the core. The dark romantics were individuals who used their pessimistic view of the world and incorporated it into their literature to invoke terror and fear into their readers. In contrast to the transcendentalists, dark romantics saw the world as evil and decaying. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil” and Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” both authors use symbolism, suspense, and irony to emphasize the importance of tragedy as a theme throughout dark romantic literature.
Both Hawthorne and Poe used symbolism in their work to help their readers understand the significance of
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tragedy as a theme. In Hawthorne’s parable, the black veil is symbolic for hidden sin, Mr. Hooper expresses his secret sin physically through his black veil while hinting at the fact that even though they don’t openly express it, everyone has a black veil therefore having secret sin.
"Why do you tremble at me alone?" cried he, turning his veiled face round the circle of pale spectators. "Tremble also at each other. Have men avoided me and women shown no pity and children screamed and fled, only for my black veil? What but the mystery which it obscurely typifies, has made this piece of crape so awful? When the friend shows his inmost heart to his friend; the lover to his best-beloved; when man does not vainly shrink from the eye of his Creator, loathsomely treasuring up the secret of his sin; then deem me a monster, for the symbol beneath which I have lived, and die! I look around me, and, lo! on every visage a black veil!" on his deathbed Hooper says everyone avoided him and saw him as a monster simply because he chose to wear a piece of crape over his face, he also goes on to say that the people of Milford were so drawn in by the veil and so focused on whatever possible sins Mr. Hooper could have committed, that they completely neglected their own sin. The isolation Hooper experienced throughout his life in Milford adds to the tragedy aspect Hawthorne conveys. Whereas Hawthorne uses the veil to symbolize hidden or secret sin, Poe uses the raven to symbolize the narrator's sorrow. In Poe’s poem, a raven visits the narrator and sits above their chamber door. The raven continues to repeat the word …show more content…
“nevermore’’ whenever the narrator asks about being able to see their lost Lenore. At the end of the poem the narrator tells the readers that the raven has never left and is still sitting above his chamber door. ‘’And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming, And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor Shall be lifted—nevermore!’’ the raven serves as a constant reminder that the narrator will never see or be with Lenore. The shadow that the raven casts upon the narrator is a representation of the narrator’s never ending sorrow, the use of symbolism throughout the poem shows that tragedy is an appropriate theme for this kind of work. Both the veil and the raven serve as constant reminders, whether it be sin or suffering, both Hawthorne and Poe used symbolism and other literary devices to effectively emphasize the importance of tragedy as a theme in dark romantic literature. In both Hawthorne and Poe’s work suspense is used to indicate tragedy as a theme in dark romantic literature.
In Hawthorne’s parable, ‘’The Minister’s Black Veil’’ Hawthorne used suspense to darken the mood and make the story more unsettling for his readers. For this reason Hawthorne uses the funeral of the young lady, a tragic situation suitable for the use of suspense as Hopper pulls his veil back abruptly after it almost falls off. “The clergyman stepped into the room where the corpse was laid, and bent over the coffin, to take a last farewell of his deceased parishioner. As he stooped, the veil hung straight down from his forehead, so that, if her eyelids had not been closed forever, the dead maiden might have seen his face. Could Mr. Hooper be fearful of her glance, that he so hastily caught back the black veil?” Hooper pulls the veil back quickly after it almost coming off. This leaves Hawthorne’s readers questioning Hoopers hastings and as to why he was so quick to pull the veil back to his face. The unknown leaves a sense of suspense as many believe that the dead may see something that other members of the congregation cannot. In addition, Poe uses suspense in a more simple and less complex manner, for example, the tapping at the narrator’s chamber door in the beginning of the poem. “Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore; But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping, And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you”—here I opened wide the door; Darkness there and nothing more. Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;’’ At the beginning of the poem the narrator hears tapping at their door, the narrator goes to see who is there only to find nobody at there. This gives the situation a foreboding nature as neither the narrator nor reader knows what is going to happen next. All together, Hawthorne and Poe used suspense among other literary devices to help readers understand tragedy as a common theme in dark romantic literature. Hawthorne and Poe use irony in their work to create a tragic interpretation of their stories. In Hawthorne’s parable, everyone in Milford believes Hooper’s fiance, Elizabeth, would know why Hooper has chosen to wear the veil. This is not the case and even though Hooper and Elizabeth are soon to be married, Hooper refuses to tell her why he wears it and does not cast aside his black veil.“Have patience with me, Elizabeth!” cried he, passionately. “Do not desert me, though this veil must be between us here on earth. Be mine, and hereafter there shall be no veil over my face, no darkness between our souls! It is but a mortal veil it is not for eternity! O! you know not how lonely I am, and how frightened, to be alone behind my black veil. Do not leave me in this miserable obscurity forever!” “Lift the veil but once, and look me in the face,” said she. “Never! It cannot be!” replied Mr. Hooper. “Then farewell!” said Elizabeth.” even though Elizabeth is Hooper’s fiance, even she cannot get Hooper to explain himself. As his soon to be wife, Elizabeth wants to stand up for Hooper against the townspeople's harsh judgement but is unable to because of her lack of knowledge about the veil. The irony of the situation leads Elizabeth to call off the engagement leaving Hooper completely alone. Hooper’s isolation from the villagers and his now ex fiance ties back into the common theme of tragedy. Identically, Poe uses irony in his poem when the narrator first believes the raven is a prophet from God and has come visit to give fortunate news about his lost love, Lenore. "Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil—prophet still, if bird or devil! By that Heaven that bends above us—by that God we both adore—Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore." Quoth the raven, "Nevermore." The narrator believes the raven is there to deliver lighthearted news about their lost lover Lenore but in actuality, the raven repeatedly chants “nevermore” giving the narrator the idea that they will never see Lenore again giving a harrowing turn in the poem. Furthermore, the use of irony in both Hawthorne and Poe’s work demonstrates the implication of tragedy as a theme in dark romantic literature. Dark romantics like Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe use symbolism, suspense, and irony in their work. Using these literary devices, both authors expressed tragedy as a common theme throughout dark romantic literature.
During the American Renaissance, writers were put into one of two categories. The categories were the Dark Romantics and the Transcendentalists. Some Dark Romantics include Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Washington Irving. The Dark Romantics stories included creepy symbols, horrific themes, and psychological effects of guilt and sin. The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving gives a few examples as to why life is meaningless to some people.Humans are not all good, there are some cruel people in this world. The Pit and the Pendulum tells you exactly why.
Mr. Hooper in “The Minister’s Black Veil” puts on a veil to symbolize “those sad mysteries which we hid[e] from our nearest and dearest, and would fain conceal from our own consciousness, even forgetting that the Omniscient can detect them” (Hawthorne 310). From the moment the townsfolk see the black veil they become very frightened and intimidated by Mr. Hooper, the citizens felt that “the black veil seemed to hang down before his heart” (Hawthorne 308). People became very frightened even the “most innocent girl, and the man of hardened breast” (Hawthorne 312) Mr. Hooper puts this crape on as a “symbol of a fearful secret between him and them” and because of this society chastises him and makes him out to be a...
Hawthorne's parable, "The Minister's Black Veil," uses symbols to illustrate the effect of shame and guilt. In the story, Mr. Hooper represents the average Christian with a deep longing to be holy, and have fellowship with man. However he allows the cross that he bears to come between himself and the latter. His secret is represented by the veil he wears. The veil itself is black, the color of both secrecy and sin. Spiritually, the veil embodies the presence of evil in all of mankind. In the physical realm it serves as emotional barrier between himself and everyone else (Timmerman). During his first sermon after donning the veil, it is observed that, "... while he prayed, the veil lay heavily on his uplifted countenance. Did he seek to hide it from the dread Being whom he was addressing?" (par 10). The veil made Mr. Hooper a powerful preacher. But even the people his messages touched the most would shudder when Mr. Hooper would move close to comfort them, his veiled face making them tremble (par 45). His personal relationships all but ceased to exist. Outside of church, he was seen as a bugbear, or monster. (par 44). Seemingly, the only one that did not fear the veil was his loving fiancée, Elizabeth. Elizabeth symbolizes purity. She is innocent and...
Hawthorne and Poe were great romantic writers and displayed the true conviction of knowing life and death in many different measures. It was this aspect that separated them from each other and made them completely different from each other. With all of the works between the two writers The Birthmark, The fall of the House of User, Annabelle Lee, and Rappaccini’s daughter these four would be both simultaneously the same and different. What has been said about these two writers can only be matched by the over whelming view on what their cherished more than the other. With Hawthorne was truly the gift of life, even though his wife died and his children had horrible tragedies of death due to sickness. It was the sense that Hawthorne knew he had fought for the love of his wife even though she was deathly ill and that postponed their marriage. It made him think that no matter what you have in this world you must cherish the good in it. This was evident in his stories and like Rappaccini’s daughter where the loss of the daughter truly affected the father in ways unimaginable. Even though he cherished her in a different light than others would Rappaccini looked at his frail daughter just as Hawthorne did his wife with all the love in the world. Poe was not the same though when the audience read his work. It was as if you knew there was a dark cloud that lingered over his work to portray that ultimate sense of gloom. As in Poe’s life he had tried several time s to find love and when he truly found it when he married Virginia Poe. With Poe he did not take the view of cherishing his loved ones but in fact sought the darker side of life when his wife died from the illness. This was the point where he would ever be haunted by his wife trying to prove to her that he will always love her no matter what burden he may
For a writer, stylistic devices are key to impacting a reader through one’s writing and conveying a theme. For example, Edgar Allan Poe demonstrates use of these stylistic techniques in his short stories “The Masque of the Red Death” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.” The former story is about a party held by a wealthy prince hiding from a fatal disease, known as the Red Death. However, a personified Red Death kills all of the partygoers. “The Fall of the House of Usher” is about a man who visits his mentally ill childhood companion, Roderick Usher. At the climax of the story, Roderick’s twin sister, Madeline, murders him after he buries her alive. Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories employ the stylistic decisions of symbolism, dream-like imagery, and tone to affect the reader by furthering understanding of the theme and setting and evoking emotion in readers.
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.
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
Edgar Allan Poe?s ?The Raven? is a dark reflection on lost love, death, and loss of hope. The poem examines the emotions of a young man who has lost his lover to death and who tries unsuccessfully to distract himself from his sadness through books. Books, however, prove to be of little help, as his night becomes a nightmare and his solitude is shattered by a single visitor, the raven. Through this poem, Poe uses symbolism, imagery and tone, as well as a variety of poetic elements to enforce his theme of sadness and death of the one he loves.
To begin, Poe uses symbolism and descriptive imagery throughout his stories and short poems to present the overall theme of death and madness. In the poem, “The Raven”, when describing the bird that enters the room imperiously and holds domain over the reader, Poe states, “And his eyes have all the
Edgar Allan Poe uses symbolism, in “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Masque of the Red Death”, to represent fear and death.
The Reverend comments on the fact that “there is an hour to come when all … shall cast aside [their] veils” and later that in reference to his own veil, he states that “no moral eye will see it withdrawn.” The importance of this is the word mortal. The Reverend is observing the relationship between sin and death. This relationship being another one of the main motif in the story. The first incident when the reader witnesses the relationship is at the funeral that the Reverend officiates. The narrator describes an interaction between the Reverend and the young woman who has passed. He leans over the coffin of the woman to “take a last farewell” and “as he stooped, the veil hung straight down from his forehead, so that, if her eyelids had not been closed forever, the dead maiden might have seen his face.” The significance here is that the woman is dead, Hawthorne is commenting on the fact that only the deceased have unveil themselves. Symbolically, though the Reverend actually puts a Black Veil on, he is confessing to his sin and therefore taking the Veil off. Thus, there is an importance in the exchanges between the Reverend and the dead. After the funeral service, a few of the guests have an
Edgar Allan Poe has a unique writing style that uses several different elements of literary structure. He uses intrigue vocabulary, repetition, and imagery to better capture the reader’s attention and place them in the story. Edgar Allan Poe’s style is dark, and his is mysterious style of writing appeals to emotion and drama. What might be Poe’s greatest fictitious stories are gothic tend to have the same recurring theme of either death, lost love, or both. His choice of word draws the reader in to engage them to understand the author’s message more clearly. Authors who have a vague short lexicon tend to not engage the reader as much.
Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses darkness as a motif to represent the unhealthiness of secret and shame.
Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, “The Raven” uses the allegory of light and dark to express his themes. Some interpretations of the themes can be interpreted differently depending on the critic. One critic in particular, Betsy Erkkila believed that the use of light and dark stemmed from a racial stand point. Arguably, the themes speak more strongly of his loss of love rather than the prejudice and condemnation of race.
During the American literary movement known as Transcendentalism, many Americans began to looking deeper into positive side of religion and philosophy in their writing. However, one group of people, known as the Dark Romantics, strayed away from the positive beliefs of Transcendentalism and emphasized their writings on guilt and sin. The most well-known of these writers is Edgar Allan Poe. Poe was a dark romantic writer during this era, renown for his short stories and poems concerning misery and macabre. His most famous poem is “The Raven”, which follows a man who is grieving over his lost love, Lenore. In this poem, through the usage of tonal shift and progression of the narrator’s state of mind, Poe explores the idea that those who grieve will fall.