He is obviously speaking of this young maiden (Hawthorne 5). Some believe that there is even a deeper secret between the young lady and Reverend Hooper and that is that he has received a sexually transmitted disease (Emmett 103). It would be a huge scandal in his church if anyone were to find out and that is why he keeps it very quiet. He then goes on to make a sermon on secret sin only to make it clear that he is hiding something. On the statement that he could have something to do with her death: It is very obvious that he had played a part in it, first he dons a black veil that only women who mourn wear, then has a very intimate prayer for her funeral,
He is an antagonist of the story. He is deeply plagued by his consciousness about his immoral affair with Hester. He feels guilty because he is keeping the truth from his congregation and letting Hester suffer alone. He is a round character who is able to change in the end. He decides to redeem himself by confessing to the crowd in his last sermon.
Hooper’s face!” “Something must surely be amiss with Mr. Hooper’s intellects,” observed her husband, the physician of the village. “But the strangest part of the affair is the effect of this vagary, even on a sober-minded man like myself. The black veil, though it covers only our pastor’s face, throws its influence over his whole person, and makes him ghostlike from head to foot. Do you not feel it so?”
This story has a protagonist who wants to break free, this is a common characteristic of Romantic stories. Other characteristics include having a character going against the establishment which can be clearly seen by how Mr. Hooper was made an outcast and harassed by his people. For example, In the story when the narrator says " Old Squire Saunders, doubtless by an accidental lapse of memory, neglected to invite Mr.Hooper to his table..."(Hawthorn 5). This demonstrates how Mr. Hooper is an outcast because he is wearing a black veil. He struggled with his secret sin and was alone most of his life due to everyone being against his beliefs .
The ironies in “The Crucible” When many people think of “The Crucible” they think of the irony in the play. There are many different examples in the play, including the minister, the Puritan religion, and the killing of Salem’s finest people. The minister in the town of Salem, Reverend Parris, is a very egotistical and paranoid person. Parris is always concerned about himself and his reputation around the town.
He knows what is right and wrong but one example has been haunting him in his life. Now in a Puritan society, sin had to have been confessed publicly and they must bear their shame. This however goes against what the Word actually says and this is what created Arthur Dimmesdale as a character. He most likely has already repented to God but his guilt will not leave until he confesses it to his congregation and it leads him to other “ways” of repentance. Being reminded of his guilt 24/7 causes his his health to deteriorate to the point of death, possibly alluding to the fact that the wages of sin are death.
Due to government actions, mainstream media, and persecution, religious oppression evokes fear and hardship into societies. Religious persecution leaves a gargantuan, angry red mark on the world 's historical timeline. In accordance with The
by the mean and unkind people in the world. While the families were in hiding, Anne, as well as everyone else, was upset by the fact that they had to hide from the Germans, they had to do this, because if they didn’t they would be sent to a concentration camp, and be put to their deaths. Anne was upset about this but she said “Were not the only people that have had to suffer.”(Frank,510) During the holocaust, many people were treated badly based on religion.
Concentration camps and inhumane conditions made it difficult for the Jews to practice their faith, so many forgot it in order to survive. The theory of evolution caused Christian communities to shun men like Bertram Cates for believing the theory, making it nearly impossible to go to church. Secondly, the destruction of reputation, persecution of people, and validity of the sacred books also broke people’s faith. Loss of reputation could make it difficult to go to church, while persecuted people often lose their faith because they believe God had abandoned them. On the contrary, many people question the validity of sacred books and scriptures when they in a tough spot, causing most people to distrust the book from then on out.
Another key factor Nathaniel Hawthorne uses to criticize the human nature and hypocrisy of all people is the community of Salem, as a whole. At the meeting that the entirety of Salem seemed to be attending, the Devil says to the holy group, “Ye deemed them holier than yourselves, and shrank from your own sin” (38). Growing up Hawthorne feels like a sinner as he doubts his ancestors for their so called ‘holy’ actions during the Salem Witch Trials. He feels like a hypocrite himself for thinking they went against god, while he, in judging them is doing essentially the same. LIkewise, in the story Goodman Brown feels like a sinner for leaving his wife and betraying his faith only to find out that so has the rest of the town, and he is not as
Another thing we learn about Dimmesdale is that he is quite envious of Hester. Since she gets to wear her scarlet letter in front of everyone and everyone knows of her sins unlike Dimmesdale who is the only one other than God who knows of the
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil” begins on a Sunday morning “Sabbath-day” before church in the small town of Milford MA. The sexton rings the bell calling all the parishioners forward for church. The church begins to fill as any normal Sunday although this turns out to be anything but an ordinary day. When it becomes time to go before the congregation Reverend Mr. Hooper walks into church. The sexton and the entire congregation is stunned because today Reverend Hooper enters the church with a black veil covering his face.
“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.
Sacrifice-an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy. Everyone will eventually sacrifice something, some more than others, yet those sacrifices will often lead to achievement. In the short story, “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates how heartbreaking details, emotional imagery, and sorrowful symbolism demonstrate sacrifice and gain. Hawthorne’s use of heartbreaking details shows how love is sometimes sacrificed for the teaching of a lesson, only to be regretted in the end. Hooper’s love, Elizabeth, “ loses a certain relationship with the person she loves, only to gain a different relationship with him later.”
“The Minister’s Black Veil: ” Mysteries that Bring you Apart The mysterious usage of the black veil from the minister will make a great difference in the thoughts of the community. “ ‘But what has good Parson Hooper got upon his face?’ cried the sexton in astonishment”(341). Many will also question why the minister, Mr.Hooper, is using a black veil. To the eyes of people, the black veil is telling or to better say the people have inferred that Mr.Hooper is hiding something behind the veil.