The Minister's Black Veil Essay

A sin is a sin and no matter how big or small it may be, there’s is no way of changing what happened. Everybody, at some point, has committed a sin and the problem of this is that people don’t notice that they are doing it and that they are not only affecting themselves but also society around them. Also, a huge problem is that people notice too much in what others do or don't do, and not what they are doing or should be doing. In the short story, “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, we can see the way people get blinded by the physical appearance of Mr. Hooper and begin rumors trying to figure out why he wore the black veil.
Throughout the story, we can see the character of Mr. Hooper along with his fiance Elizabeth and the

people from the church dramatically change. Once Mr. Hooper appeared in the meeting house with his black veil, gossip began among the townspeople. People were confused and surprised, because out of the bloom, Mr. Hooper appeared with a black veil. "But what has good Parson Hooper got upon his face?" cried the sexton in astonishment." (Hawthorne 1). Such dramatic change in Mr. Hooper's appearance made people wonder many things, including if he was still the same old pastor they had. "Members of the congregation stir in uncomfortable silence as the veiled clergyman makes his way to the pulpit." (Cording 3) Here we also see how the members of the church were puzzled by Mr. Hooper's black veil. William Freedman also describes the community's reactions towards the veil that never seemed to come off Mr. Hooper's face. "Some of the townspeople were amazed, others awed; some are fearful or intimidated." (Freedman 2)
The central theme of the story was that Mr. Hooper was wearing a black veil and refused to take it off. The black veil penetrated a variety of questions and feelings. "Such was the effect of his simple piece of crape, that more than one woman of delicate nerves was forced to leave the meetinghouse." (Hawthorne 3) Even though many people were affected by him wearing the veil across his face, Mr. Hooper still managed to wear the veil until his death. "Hooper­ continues ­to ­wear ­the­ veil­ through ­the rest­ of­ the ­day’s duties, ­including­ a ­funeral ,­ at ­which the ­veil ­seems ­an ­“appropriate emblem,”­ and­ a­ wedding­ service, ­at ­which ­it ­decidedly­ does ­not­." (Becnel 1) Becnel describes how Mr. Hooper, knowing what day and occasion it was, he continued to wear his veil. Also wondering about the veil, his fiance asked and begged for him to take off the veil at least to "do away this scandal," and once more he refused. (Hawthorne 10). His actions also provoked his fiance Elizabeth to leave him and lose trust in him. Mr. Hooper's veil was causing him more problems than expected, yet he managed to go along with his purpose.
Along the story, as Mr.

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

present.
“When­ it becomes­ clear ­to ­the ­community­ that ­Hooper ­plans to ­wear ­the ­veil ­in
defi­nitely, ­they ­appoint ­a ­group to ­speak ­to ­him ­about ­their ­concerns.

­The ­group’s mission ­is ­a­ complete ­failure. ­In ­the ­words ­of ­the narrator, ­“Never ­did­ an ­embassy ­so­ ill­ discharge­ its duties”­ (Becnel 1).
We continuously see the greed of the people wanting to know what is wrong with Mr. Hooper and they don't realize that their curiosity is creating greater damage in Mr. Hooper's life. "It grieved him, to the very depth of his kind heart, to observe how the children fled from his approach, breaking up their merriest sports, while his melancholy figure was yet far off." (Hawthorne 12) Mr. Hooper's life was already filled with sorrow and sadness and what he wanted less was people's aggravation.
As Mr. Hooper tried to prove his purpose while wearing the veil, he realized how people he thought he knew actually were. He then noticed that people couldn't stay quiet and gave out their opinion, not realizing what they were actually saying. Now the only ones who called for him and were okay with his presence were the sick and dying.
"He became a man of awful power over souls that were in agony for sin... Dying sinners cried aloud for Mr. Hooper, and would not yield their breath till he appeared; though ever as he stooped to whisper consolation, they shuddered at the veiled face so near their own." (Hawthorne

13)
Meanwhile, the people believed that Mr. Hooper was wearing the veil to cover up a sin, the only people who were comfortable to approach them were the dying because they were the ones who wanted to get rid of their own sins and sought forgiveness.
In various ways, the story also teaches us about the shaming of our sins. Many people decide to not talk about their sins, not look for forgiveness and not even forgive themselves. "Without this candid acknowledgment of who we really are and the forgiveness that leads to reconciliation with ourselves and others, neither human nor divine love can penetrate the dark recesses of our souls." (Cording 5) The short story also teaches us about self-forgiveness and how in order to live in peace we have to be able to forgive ourselves for our mistakes. As I previously said, everybody has committed a sin at some point in their lives and in order to overcome the judgments of others, you have to stand up straight knowing yourself that you know what your mistake was and that you have learned from it.
Just like in "The Minister's Black Veil", today we are exposed to the sins and mistakes of others and our own. As I analyzed the story, I realized the major problem and sin of the society that is continuous at every moment is the way we express ourselves. We might have the right from the government to express our feelings in whatever way, but we pass the limit and our comments affect the lives of many. Now more than when the story took place, we can see many people sinning and not looking for forgiveness and I believe this is more common due to the fact that the new generations are growing apart from religion and are being exposed more to technology.