Looking back over The Minister’s Black Veil, I interpret the veil as a symbol, saying that everyone has flaws, no one’s perfect. Consequently, they judged Mr. Hooper for the unknown, Although the townspeople seeing Mr. Hooper in that veil was shocking, but he had to get a message to them. “Subsequently Over the course of the story Mr. Hooper wore the black veil over his face to obscure himself away from the towns people’s sins. Symbolically the veil worn by Mr. Hooper, the minister in “The Minister’s Black Veil” is a symbol for the sins that mankind hides within. “Furthermore the reason why I do find this plausible is considering he doesn’t ever take off his veil, but (why not take the veil off?) One reason he doesn’t want to take his veil …show more content…
Hooper wears the veil to symbolize his mourning for the secret sins of many of the Puritans who fear the severe punishments for transgressions and live as hypocrites become apparent in the denouement of Hawthorne’s story. “This is stating that Mr. Hooper wears the Black Veil to show his sorrow for the towns people’s sins.” Mr. Hooper wishes to teach a moral lesson to his congregation by wearing a veil that only each man and woman can interpret according to their own consciences.” Basically what that quote suggests is that Mr. Hooper is to carry the burden of their sins; learn from their mistakes. Mr. Hooper says in the story “The Minister’s Black Veil” he is aware of their sins. People have speculations that Mr. Hooper committed adultery with the young girl that died at the beginning of the story. Maybe Mr. Hooper’s obscurity of his own iniquity under the black veil is that why he wears it. When Mr. Hooper was talking about secret sins (was he talking about himself?) Mr. Hooper could be hiding his shame as well as disappointment in himself under the black veil. Mr. Hooper wore the black veil maybe for the reason that he is supposed to be a leader, hence he should not sin, he did sin, so he has no respect for himself anymore so he wears the veil so no one can see his
In reality the black veil was worn to teach a lesson. The lesson was to show how easily people are judged when unaware of one’s true intentions. This being said, Hooper is explaining how he was judged and his life changed for the worst just because he was wearing the black veil; he was hated for something that his friends and family had no clue about, but believed it was for the
Minister Hooper is a very good man, believes solely in Christ, and throughout the story we come to see how his views on religion reflect his humanity and humility. In “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Minister Hooper dons a black veil that causes an eruption of gossip in his community. The townspeople do not have any clue as to why he is wearing this black veil and see it as scary and devilish. The people in the community believe that Minister Hooper is wearing the veil to cover up a horrible sin. This may not be the case, however, because he may be wearing it as a symbol of his faith.
Mr. Hooper the minister’s is perceived to be a “self-disciplined man”. When he was wearing the veil people in his village believed that he went insane and is guilty of a dark and terrible sin. “He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face” (1253).The author explains how Mr.Hooper would wear a mask to hide his sins and face which cause people to believe he was awful. The veil becomes the center of discussion for all of those in the congregate the mask all the people wore around others to hide their sins and embraces there guilty. Elizabeth in the story ends her relationship with Mr. Hooper because he will not remove the veil that he's wearing. The veil actually symbolize for the puritans belief that all people souls are black from
The story “The Minister’s Black Veil” is symbolic of the hidden sins that we hide and separate ourselves from the ones we love most. In wearing the veil Hooper presents the isolation that everybody experiences when they are chained down by their own sins. He has realized that everybody symbolically can be found in the shadow of their own veil. By Hooper wearing this shroud across his face is only showing the dark side of people and the truth of human existence and nature.
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...
In “The minister’s black veil” The black veil Mr.hooper puts on is to prevent people from spying on his private life. The veil symbolized that human nature is blinded by sins and they way the town treated him after he started wearing the veil shows that there faith is blind they couldn't understand where he was coming from. “ Mr. Hooper's conscience tortured him for some great crime too horrible to be entirely concealed, or otherwise than so obscurely intimated. Thus, from beneath the black veil, there rolled a cloud into the sunshine, an ambiguity of sin or sorrow, which
Throughout the novel, Ralph Ellison used symbols to tell his story in a powerful and vivid way. He was successful in using literally devices that engaged and entertained his audience. The blindfold was a symbol of oppression as well as blacks’ struggle for equality and an ironic symbol of individuality and insight. Generally, the novel was able to deliver an important message about societies’ struggle for dominance on one hand; and a way of making oneself free from such brutal treatment. It clearly showed that respect for one another; and one’s identity is the only way of solving conflicts and a way to live in peace.
His lover, Elizabeth, leaves him, because he refuses to take the veil off. The plot to the story is that Parson Hooper tries to overcome the gossiping of the town, and make people accept him. However, his plan backfires and they reject him. “ Mr Hooper had the reputation of a good preacher, but not an energetic one: he strove to win his people heavenward, rather than to drive them thither,” states Hawthorne. The sermon he gives with the black veil on his face, is the same style and manner he gave the last sermon.
Mr. Hooper’s veil is very sentimental to him. His veil is looked at in different ways, it can symbolize the confession of his sins or a way to hide his sins. Mr. Hooper showed honesty toward his veil. He didn’t take it off even when people tempted him to take it off, specifically when his soon to be wife debated with him to take the veil off who was pretty much the only person who had the courage to go up and talk to him about the veil, he then rebuttled and told her he can not take it off. People around were thinking he was hiding secret sin, but we really don’t know why Mr. Hooper wore that veil, but for whatever the reason was, Mr.Hooper was being honest in whatever the reason was he wore that veil, to either show he is confessing his sins and showing that he is a sinner or a symbolic way to show that we are all sinners and we all have masks but the only difference is that his veil is
From the beginning of the story, Mr. Hooper comes out wearing a black veil, which represents sins that he cannot tell to anyone. Swathed about his forehead, and hanging down over his face, Mr. Hooper has on a black veil. Elizabeth urged, “Beloved and respected as you are, there may be whispers that you hid your face under the consciousness of secret sin” (Hawthorne 269). His fiancé says that in the black veil there may be has a consciousness of secret sin. Also, he is a parson in Milford meeting-house and a gentlemanly person, so without the veil, Hooper would be a just typical minister, “guilty of the typical sins of every human, but holier than most” (Boone par.7). He would be a typical minister who is guilty of the typical sins of every human without the black veil. Also, Boone said, “If he confesses his sin, the community can occur” (Boone par.16). If he confesses his sin about the black veil, all of the neighbors will hate him. Last, he said, “so, the veil is a saying: it is constantly signifying, constantly speaking to the people of the possibility of Hooper’s sin” (Boone par.11). Mr. Hooper’s veil says that he is trying to not tell the sins about the black veil. In conclusion, every people have sins that cannot tell to anyone like Mr. Hooper.
416), while it gave Hooper a more intimidating, enigmatic and somewhat inhuman demeanor that isolated him from the community his services were still available for his community. The book even says that it “enabled him to sympathize with all dark affections” (pg. 416) as many people, particularly the ones who were guilty of ‘secret sin’ felt comfortable and/or compelled by Hooper into confessing their sins. The people felt that they could tell him everything they kept secret, because the veil’s “gloom” and foreboding aura gave him the same aura of mystery. The black veil kind of symbolizes a cover-up that humans use every day to hide their real feelings and thoughts, as many people are never truly honest with others and each convey some sort of secret. It appears that the idea in this story is that humans by nature are sinful and are all guilty of some hidden sin that they try to keep in the dark because having sins is not considered human or moral. It’s not a very positive outlook on humans, but the book does seem to convey that idea, as Reverend Hooper himself is a flawed man guilty of secret sin as revealed in the end, making him no different from the rest of the townsfolk who have their own sins that they hide. However, it also shows that humans are hypocritical by nature because they are so flawed as in the end Hooper proved that he did exactly practice what he
Reverend Hooper was the protagonist in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Minister’s Black Veil. He was a soft spoken man who wanted people to realize that every one was a sinner, no matter how much they may deny the fact. He preached during the Puritan era. Conversely, Jonathan Edwards was a preacher who preached during the end of the Puritan era in a terrifying manner; he thought that if he scared those who were listening enough, it would get them to convert. When faced with a challenge regarding how Reverend Hooper would have felt about Edwards, one might conclude that Hooper would have appreciated the intent but not the delivery because it was far too intimidating and aggressive for the congregation, it was the incorrect way to approach wanting people to convert, and it was antipodal to how Hooper would have done so.
When Hooper walked through the community, the author says, “Thus, from beneath the black veil, there rolled a cloud into the sunshine, an ambiguity of sin or sorrow, which enveloped the poor minister, so that love or sympathy could never reach him” (Hawthorn 10). It shows that the veil represents sin and that it brings sadness to people with sin. When Hooper is talking to his fiancee “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!” (Hawthorn 9).
Including his own mistress, she questions why he is wearing the veil and explains to him that it is causing a lot of turmoil among his perish and followers. They begin to doubt the truthfulness of his actions. Eventually, his mistress leaves him and most of the followers either mock him or shun him due to his persistence in wearing the black veil. W. B. Carnochan claims that there a couple different views to which critics are troubled by. On one side, they see Mr. Hooper as a saintly figure, one without sin; on the other side, he represents one of Hawthorne's unpardonable sinners (Carnochan
Mr. Hooper wore his veil as a reminder, to him and those around him, of his sin. He knew that his veil would only be lifted in heaven. The congregation shunned Mr. Hopper for wearing a veil without ever truly knowing its meaning. He became an outcast where he was once a friend. He can longer even stand to look at his own image.