Society does not let you become who you are or who you could really be. It puts certain limits on you or you will be criticized. The Minister's Black Veil is a story related to society’s judgment on your appearance. Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author, really sets out an idea of how he views society. The story is about a priest who decided to wear a black veil over his face, only letting his mouth peek out. The town folks wondered about the reason of his veil, they started judging him and accusing him. They said he changed, that his sermons were more “energetic”. They eventually took him to jail, and died there. As they buried him, he still had his veil on. People judge way too much by your appearance and not by who you are in person. Society has certain rules that are or are not mentioned but you know them. This is society’s ways, they do not accept who you are if you break the rules. In the story, everyone was scared or did not want to be near Father Hooper, they would evade him at all costs,”Old Squire Saunders, doubtless by an accidental lapse of memory, neglected to invite Mr. Hooper to his table...”. This means that just because he was wearing a veil that would not let …show more content…
What needs to happen is that people should keep their customs and beliefs to themselves and accept who other people are, after all they do not believe in the same things, everyone is different and everyone thinks differently. "If I hide my face for sorrow, there is cause enough,"Father Hooper was a victim of this, he believe everyone had sins and no one wanted to admit them, but everyone else believed they were flawless and at their best. Father Hooper also believe that he wasn't going to take the veil off until everyone else did, or he would wear it all the way to eternity."Never! It cannot be!" People disliked his idea therefor, they left him alone throughout the rest of his
After reading the Ministers Black Veil we cannot assume that Hooper, the main character, has committed a dark and secret sin. We are, however, free to assume that Hooper is wearing the veil for a reason, one that may be greater than himself. The veil is a symbol of many things, all revolving around public hypocrisy. The townspeople are quick to judge The Minister for wearing such a sinful crape but they themselves overlook their own sins amongst the chaos of speculating the different crimes he must of committed to be wearing the veil.
In the story “The minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne Mr.Hooper is judge by everybody when he shows up with the black veil for the first time. Nobody expected him to wear a black veil that cover half of his face. There are times when wearing a black
Two topics that heavily relate to the outcome of “The Ministers Black Veil” are Secrecy and Forgiveness. Reverend Hopper seeks to teach his congregation a lesson. He uses the secrecy of the veil to teach them this. What they do not realize is what the veil might actually symbolize, the secret sin of behind each person. This secrecy was what the Minister was trying to teach them about.
In Hawthorne’s short story, the minister walks out of the rectory one morning with a black veil covering his face. In this story, it is heavily debated what that black veil actually symbolizes. Could it be a symbol of sin and guilt, or is it rather a barrier between the minister and the rest of society? The story takes place in winter at Milford, Connecticut, where it focuses on Parson Hooper, the town’s minister.
Hooper gave up walking around places other than his house because even “the gentle and timid would turn aside to avoid him” (Hawthorne 9). He started feeling worse about all of his secret sins, so Mr. Hooper could no longer pass by mirrors as seen on page 10 of “The Minister’s Black Veil.” Many of the townspeople did not understand why he changed all of a sudden. They thought he may of committed a crime or that he covered himself so that “love or sympathy could never reach him” (Hawthorne 9). He had allowed his secret sins and sorrows overtake him, and he eventually could not share them with
“He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face” (Hawthorne, 681.) Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “The Minister’s Black Veil”, emerging from the Romanticism literary period tells the story of a young minister who begins to don a black veil that he will not take off until he dies. The author uses an abundance of word play to convey his message, hiding one's face is something that should not be done, and you should stay true to yourself. Norman German’s article, “The Veil of Words in ‘The Minister’s Black Veil’,” makes a variety of examples made aware of to support this idea. Hawthorne uses puns and dissimilar words that are known to be related to build his theme.
Hooper wearing the veil this makes everyone consider him an outcast to society. Before the service and old woman said “I don’t like it” and she hobbled into the meeting-house”(Hawthorne 1). As a result of Hooper wearing the veil he makes this old lady avoid his service because she is scared of him. At the close of the service many people went straight home by themselves and the other huddled in small groups and ignored Mr. Hooper and instead talked about him. Nothing, not the pleas of the elders, nor the nudging of Elizabeth , nor his own loneliness can persuade Hooper to remove the piece of black crape that separates him so dramatically from society (Boone).
The black veil seemed scary for the people because they didn't understand why he was wearing it. It doesn't matter because he is still the same person just wearing something different that people didn't understand why he wore the black veil. People were scared of the veil they were confused by the black veil.
The community then proceeds to treat him as an outcast of society; nobody will talk to him, and everyone avoids him out of fear. However, they continue to talk about him behind his back (Hawthorne 282). They want to know things such as why is he even wearing the veil, what their own minister is trying to hide,
The veil does a great job at representing this as every time they see the veil and in the minister's last sight he sees everyone around him wearing black veils showing they are all aware of their own
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s parody “The Black Veil,” the reader is introduced to Minister Hooper as he steps out with a black veil over his face to begin a church service. The immediate response of confusion and fear takes over his congregation. Minister Hooper uses the veil as a symbol for the hidden/secret sins that each one of us carries. The irony in this is that the veil is just that, a double folded crape. Hooper’s congregation proved to be harsh and judgmental of the minister not fully understanding why he was veiled.
He no longer fit in with the people in the village and he didn’t meet their expectations of what a minister should be like so they started saying things about Mr.Hooper. At the beginning of the story when they were in the church and Mr.Hooper began wearing the veil a person
The wearing of the veil is a confession of guilt and a suggestion that everyone should do the same. Mr. Hooper really did not understand how much this black veil was going to affect the congregation until raising his glass in a toast for a newlywed couple and catching a glimpse of himself in the looking glass. Right then and there is when Mr. Hooper realized, "the Earth, too, had on her black veil” (Hawthorne 2145). This means that everyone is hiding; most people would not wear a black veil and have no reason in doing so. Is it that the people afraid of what the veil represents to Mr. Hooper or are they afraid of what it represents to themselves?
Nancy L. Bunge is talking on the topic of how the veil was seen to others, Bunge says, “His veil shuts out happiness, giving a darkened aspect to all living and inanimate things” (Bunge-19). This quote shows that Hooper’s veil brought darkness and unhappiness to many people. In life, we naturally want to be happy, but if something or someone is making us unhappy then we naturally alienate that someone or something from our lives. The veil’s darkness and unhappiness play a big role in the cause of Hooper’s alienation by his surrounding
“Dying sinners cried aloud for Mr. Hooper, and would not yield their breath till he appeared…” (Hawthorne 185). McFarland establishes that because the veil made Hooper an effective minister, “The community, then, does find use for the anomalous citizen.” “...though ever, as he stooped to whisper consolation, they shuddered at the veiled face so close to their own” (Hawthorne 185). However, even when death was knocking on someone’s door, they could not fully justify his consolation because he still wore the