Critical Analysis of Hawthorne's "Minister's Black Veil
Critical Analysis of Hawthorne's "Minister's Black Veil"
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Hawthorne advances the theme of secret sin by using Mr. Hooper, the main character. In the opening scene of this story Mr. Hooper, a thirty year old minister, wore a black veil on his face which hid his facial features and expressions. Although his congregation was alarmed by the veil, they were in some ways drawn closer to Mr. Hooper out of mystery. As Mr. Hooper preached about secret sin, the congregation felt that he was talking about each one of them individually and that he knew the secrets that they were holding from the world. Throughout the story many people tried to convince Mr. Hooper to take the veil off but he simply denied their request and wore it all of his life. While on his deathbed, Mr. Hooper concluded that every human being wore a veil to conceal their secret sins. By wearing the veil it is indicated that Mr. Hooper had committed a crime that he wanted to hide from his congregation, or he wanted his congregation to realize that they were all wearing a veil that hid their secret sins.
In today’s society people lie, steel, and cheat every day. When a person does something they are ashamed of they either try to cover it up or keep it to themselves vowing never to tell a soul what they have done. To Mr. Hooper the black veil was his way of keeping something hidden deep inside himself. To the congregation the black veil was a wall between them and their minister whom they loved so much. The veil made the congregation unsure about how to act towards Mr. Hooper. Because of Mr. Hooper’s new appearance some thought he had gone mad, some ended up neglecting him, and some made light of him.
In the case of “The Minister’s Black Veil,” it is the veil itself that represents the minister’s knowledge of secret sin, and it is this knowledge that isolates him from everyone around him. It has separated him from his beloved, from his friends and his congregation. It is evident that it is the veil, and his consistent refusal to remove it, which causes him to be avoided by others and left alone, yet the reason why...