The Minister's Black Veil Essay

"The ultimate mystery is one's own self" Sammy Davis. Mr. Hooper was considered a man with hidden sins because he would not reveal his true self, his face. He covered his face with a black veil to mourn those who have an indescribable life of horrors. In the story, the minister's black veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne includes many hidden meanings, symbols, romanticism, motifs, and themes. Mr. Hooper experiences downfalls by wearing his black veil. Consequently, he loses his fiance, and the church begins spreading rumors about why he may be wearing his black veil. Thus, the black veil has brought him several tragedies that he will never regret, not even on his deathbed.

Mr. Hooper began wearing the black veil to accompany the funeral of a young

maiden who had lost her life. The veil provided a sense of symbolism as mourning the death of the lost one. Black is often used as a depressing color and is often worn to funerals, so the black veil would have been seen normal if it were not worn by the minister himself. As the minister wore the black veil to the wedding following the funeral, the church community started to become more uneasy since it was unusual for him to wear the black veil, or any veil for that matter. In an article written by Amy Alexander she explains how “The motive for Hooper’s wearing of the veil is ambiguous. Hooper tells his fiancé, Elizabeth (the name of both Hawthorne’s mother and sister), “If I hide my face for sorrow, there is cause enough . . . and if I cover it for secret sin, what mortal might not do the same?”, this explains that he wore the veil for mourning or sorrow, but it could also be because he might be hiding his face for secret sin that he may have; correspondingly, the people of the church believed that he had begun wearing the veil because he had sinned. Wearing the black veil not only symbolized lie and sin, but it also represented the sorrow comings of Mr. Hooper. It is not a coincidence that misfortunes came as soon as Mr. Hooper began wearing his black veil. The people of his own church had started to shun Mr. Hooper, and some people of the community stopped going to Mr. Hooper’s church.
Romanticism influenced the Minister’s Black Veil immensely. In the article written by Kim Bacnel it explains “One of the core beliefs of Puritanism held that all people deserved damnation. God, in his benevolence, had chosen to absolve some of them from sin and save them before they even existed.” which could have been the reason why Nathanael chose a puritan society to romanticize about because of their strict beliefs. Romanticism is emphasizing a certain inspiration or thing which would be the black veil. Romantic writers often accented the aspects of human experience which in this case would be mourning the death or bad experience of others. In the same article it says “And yet, as the minister/artist takes on the character of the symbol he employs, in the very act of exposing the souls and hidden sinfulness of others, Hooper, like the artist, also partakes of the infection he perceives.” which explains the romanticism between Mr. Hooper, and how the author wants to perceive him. Additionally, the motifs that Nathaneal had were similar to the symbols and the theme in the way they he wears the veil for secret sin or sorrow. Moreover, it has a religious context as it explains in Bacnel’s article “The minister's black veil, especially when first worn while giving a sermon on secret sin, likely represented for the congregation their private doubts concerning their own salvation” which has the same context as the symbol as Mr. Hooper was a sermon of the church, and when those on their deathbeds were about to die they would want Mr. Hooper so they could confess all their sins due to the belief that they thought Mr. Hooper was a sinful as they were. Although this was not the case due to Mr. Hooper living an exemplary lifestyle.
Similarly, the theme relates back to the symbol, motifs, and theme due to the fact of it all being because of the black veil.

The theme in this story is that misfortunes come to those who do not seek it, and to those who are pure. In addition, the black veil represents: those who do not have a say in anything, and those who do not have anything to live for. Mr. Hooper wore the black veil in symbolizing those who have lost or live their life unjustly. While he is trying to represent those, his life becomes unjust. In the article written by William Freedman says “Some of the townspeople are amazed, others awed; some are fearful or intimidated, others perplexed or defensively wise, while yet others are inspired or made hopeful… . Both conjure back into the simple materials of literature and earth a power beyond. They do so, as Teufelsdrockh recommends, by planting "into the deep infinite faculties of man, his Fantasy and Heart" (Carlyle 225)-Hooper by means of the veil, the artist by means of the symbol the veil represents.”, which demonstrates how the townspeople took the fact that Mr. Hooper would never reveal his face. In the same manner, some took it lightly as many live their life ‘lightly’ or joyfully. However, many were frightened by the black veil and the person wearing it, being Mr. Hooper; this represents those who live their life frightened by the world or those who live their life mourning the loss or lack of their belongings or love. In all, the theme represents those who live and how they live their own individual

life.