The Minister’s Black Veil, by Nathaniel Hawthorne Symbolism of the Veil Short answer response: answer each of the following questions, using a minimum of 150 words for each question. You must use textual examples to back up your answer in Question 1. 1. On his deathbed, Hooper says, "I look around me, and, lo! on every visage a Black Veil!" What does Hooper mean? In a thorough explanatory paragraph, explain why he sees a black veil on everyone else’s face. You must be sure to use at least two specific textual references to support your response. In the story "The Minister's Black Veil" the minister wears a black veil for a very long time even though the townsmen are very frightened of his black veil because they don’t understand why he wears it in the first place. When the minister is on his deathbed he exclaims that everyone around him also is wearing a black veil, so this situation furthermore proves that the black veil is very symbolic since the people around him aren’t physically wearing black veils. To understand why the minister sees veils on everyone’s faces it is …show more content…
important to first understand what symbolic connotation the veil has for minister.
The following quote gives some context to the minister’s symbolic belief of the veil: “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!” It is important to also realize that the veil is suppose to be a constant reminder to the minister of human sin and lies. The minister believes by wearing the veil he tangibly acknowledges his sin that so many pretend they don't have. The following quote supports that the
minister doesn’t think he is any different from anybody else, and he questions why people have feared him when he only wishes to show the truth: "Why do you tremble at me alone?" cried he, turning his veiled face round the circle of pale spectators. "Tremble also at each other!” Thus, in summary, through context and textual evidence it is clear the minister believes that the black veil symbolically resembles sin, and he sees veils upon everyone’s faces on his deathbed because he knows they have sinned but won’t admit it to each other, themselves, or their God. 2. For this next question, you may need to do some research. If so, be sure to cite your resources. I'll accept the web address as a fair citation. Be sure to summarize any research -- do NOT plagiarize!What 'veils' do people in today's societies wear? I want you to answer this from the literal, global perspective. Consider other cultures, other countries and their traditions. What types of veils do people wear and why. Whatever you do, don’t just say that ‘brides wear veils’! I’m looking for some thoughtful and insightful ideas here. The first “veil” I thought of after reading this question was the hijab scarfs that muslim women wear over their entire face single every day. I didn’t have to do any research on this topic because like i’ve said before I know a lot about history. I know that these muslim women wear hijabs over their faces because of religious purposes; they believe that God commanded every believing women to dress modestly by covering their entire bodies. This idea of women covering their entire bodies because of God’s desire is stated in multiple verses of the Quran. But the hijab is more than just a dress code because in Muslim culture a hijab’s connotation is modesty not only in appearance but also in moral conduct. If a women wears a hijab but doesn’t behave appropriately and religiously she hasn’t fulfilled the purpose of wearing the hijab in the first place. In summary, God commanded women to wear the hijab, and the purpose of the hijab is to always remind the Muslim women how to act. This reminds me of "The Minister's Black Veil" because the minister wore the veil to remind him of God and sin. 3. For this final question, I want you to consider the symbolic, figurative veils that people wear. Think about this! In "The Minister's Black Veil" everyone 'wears a veil' to conceal their sins and secrets (although this veil is unseen). We all 'wear veils' at some point, don’t we? What might people of today be trying to cover up? Again, I’m looking for some thoughtful and insightful ideas here. Everyone has something to hide. In society many people pretend to be other people by acting like stereotypes that aren’t themselves because they want to disguise their true selves. This is often because people tend to be insecure or self conscious.I will have to confess that even I wear a symbolic veil more than I like to. I go to school wearing more makeup than I need, and wearing clothes that are trendy because I want to be likeable. By doing this I become a stereotype, and I hide myself behind a symbolic veil. Yet, more recently I have realized that it isn’t even healthy for me to pretend to be someone I’m not. Bottling up all my true emotions, and my true identity, only hurts by self esteem more. Besides, why do I do this to myself? To be friends with everyone? I have realized being popular isn’t as important as being yourself, and that I do have some true friends who know who I actually am; and these people are the only people I truly want in my life. In summary, people wear veils to hide their true identities because they are self conscious, insecure, have unrealistic expectations of who they should be.
In the parable, "The Minister's Black Veil", written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. A minister named Parson Hooper decides to wear a black veil for the rest of his life. When he wore it, the only thing on his face you could see was his mouth. The mouth being the only facial feature that people could see made it the only feature that could show his emotions at the time. A smile is a universal sign of happiness, yet, Hoopers smile was described as being sad. “A sad smile gleamed faintly from beneath the black veil, and flickered about his mouth, glimmering as he disappeared.” He had a sad smile, but it also gleamed. His sad smile must have had some sign of joy or fake joy to seem as if he was not sad. A sad smile could mean that the person has regrets
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
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 minister’s friends and neighbors are so upset by the veil because the veil becomes a wall between himself and his congregation. The first response is one of curiosity which then turns in suspicion. They cannot understand the meaning for the wearing of the black veil and in turn the people become very uncomfortable around him. The veil and it color ...
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
In “The Minister’s Black Veil” Mr. Hooper shocks his townspeople by putting a veil permanently on his face. The veil is a paradox of concealment and revelation (Carnochan 186). Although it is concealing Mr. Hooper’s face, it is made to reveal the sins in society. The townspeople first believed that the veil was being used to hide a sin that Mr. Hooper had committed. Mr. Hooper says that the veil is supposed to be a symbol of sins in general, however the townspeople ignore the message and still focus on his sinfulness. The townspeople know that they have sinned, but they use Mr. Hooper as their own “veil” to hide their sins. Because the townspeople are so caught up on his sins, they fail to figure on the message behind Mr. Hooper’s action and
Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Minister's Black Veil" illustrates the dangers of secret sin. Allowing guilt from things done in the past, things that cannot be changed, can ruin lives. The life of the secret-carrier will be devastated, along with the lives of that person's most loved ones. Hawthorne uses various types of figurative language in his works to portray his message. "The Minister's Black Veil” is no exception; Hawthorne uses symbolism and suggestion to add depth and mystery.
There is no end to the ambiguity in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil”; this essay hopes to explore this problem within the tale.
The black veil signifies sin. The minister’s veil acts as a reminder to individuals that everyone commits sin, has sins, and need to accept it. The black veil acted as a reminder that people cannot hide from the corruption of their
The Minister’s Black Veil, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1836, is a parable about a minister, Mr. Hooper, who constantly wears a mysterious black veil over his face. The people in the town of Milford, are perplexed by the minister’s veil and cannot figure out why he insists on wearing it all of the time. The veil tends to create a dark atmosphere where ever the minister goes, and the minister cannot even stand to look at his own reflection. In Nathaniel Hawthorne 's literary work, The Minister 's Black Veil, the ambiance of the veil, separation from happiness that it creates, and the permanency of the black veil symbolize sin in people’s lives.
Next, the minister’s black veil symbolizes darkness around his face and neighbors. His frame shuddered; his lips grew white, and rushed forth into the darkness. He said, “Know, then, this veil is a type and a symbol, and I am bound to wear it ever, both in light and darkness, in solitude and before the gaze of multitudes, and as with strangers, so with my familiar friends” In this light and darkness black veil, he is bound to wear it ever.
"The Minister's Black Veil" is an allegorical narrative in which the agents of setting, symbols, characters, and actions come in a coherent way to represent non-literal and metaphorical meanings about the human character. The black veil is without doubt the most important symbol used in the story. It comes to represent the darkness and duality of human nature, adding thereby a certain undeniable psychoanalytical angle to the short story. The black veil represents the sin that all men carry secretively within their heart as M...
The same thing happens in “The Minister’s Black Veil,” except the reader does not know exactly what secret sin makes Reverend Hooper begin to don the black veil. Many scholars believe that this has something to do with the funeral of the young lady at the beginning of the story. The opinions range from believing that Reverend Hooper loved the girl in secret, to Poe’s believe that Reverend Hooper may have actually been the cause of the girl’s death (Newman 204). Whatever the reason, the minister’s wearing of the veil taints his view of everyone else around him, making all of them look like they are wearing veils as well (Hawthorne 107).