ipl-logo

The Minister's Black Veil Summary

1148 Words5 Pages

The Minister’s Black Veil: “What Lies Beyond A Veil” “The Minister’s Black Veil” is a parable about a mysterious minister named Mr. Hooper, who, from one day to another, began wearing a black veil. He wouldn’t take it off no matter the reason. The people from church reacted negatively to this mysterious black veil. They didn’t like it.
In this story, the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, uses imagination over reason. “ When Hooper begins to wear the veil, he introduces the idea that even the minister may have dark sins to hide(Becnel).” I agree with this opinion. The minister wore this veil because literally everyone can have sinned. He wore it as a symbol representing that he isn’t as “pure” as everyone would think. Unlike everybody else, Mr. Hooper actually shows off that he has sinned by wearing his black veil. …show more content…

Hooper’s black veil could have symbolized adultery. In the story, the author mentions how in the wedding, the spirit of a maiden was seen walking “hand-in-hand” with Mr. Hooper. He could have had a relationship with this woman in the past. Since Mr. Hooper is seen as “pure” because he is a minister, he probably felt guilty because of a possible affair he could’ve had with this woman. Or he maybe had an affair with this woman while being with Elizabeth, his fiancee.
Another possible representation of the black veil could be the secret sin that all people carry inside themselves. Mr. Hooper knew that everyone had sins, so he possibly wore it to represent everyone as one whole. Like Jesus Christ did, he made himself responsible for everybody’s sins and suffered in their place. Mr. Hooper may have done the same thing and suffered emotionally for all his

Show More
Related

  • Character Analysis: The Ministers Black Veil

    390 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • 'Symbolism In Minister's Black Veil'

    754 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is a close knit town where everybody knows each other. As the story progresses, it is seen how people will avoid even the most loved friends and family once there is a mysterious barrier in between them. So, throughout the story, the minister’s black veil symbolizes a variety of things such as: secret sins, a barrier, and even sorrow. First off, I think that Father Hooper’s black veil symbolizes everyone’s secret sins. In the beginning of the story, church begins and Hooper appears concealed by a black veil, and everybody is mystified.

    Read More

  • Minister's Black Veil Thesis

    808 Words  | 4 Pages

    (Hawthorne 481). He is keeping the veil on him because taking off the veil off would be worse. He feels keeping the sin inside him will serve him better. In addition, the author explains, “no attempts were made to remove Mr. Hooper’s black

    Read More

  • And Contrast The Minister's Black Veil And Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God

    298 Words  | 2 Pages

    After reading both of the text “The Minister 's Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards they’re various similarities and differences can be noted, especially toward the attitudes of sin and guilt. In the story’s the are just portrayed a little bit different. In both stories the feel that sinning is horrible and should be frowned upon. In the story the “Minister 's Black Veil” Nathaniel Hawthorne wants the reader to know that Reverend Hooper is wanting to hide his past sins.

    Read More

  • Minister's Black Veil Essay

    828 Words  | 4 Pages

    This shows how 1 small piece of cloth that you are wearing can make a huge impact on the type of person you are. As stated in the quote, it can get you from being a nice and gentle pastor to being a scary and frightening pastor that no one wants to be around. Essentially, it can be seen that appearance does link to the type of person you are in the Minister's Black Veil by the actions the people took towards Mr. Hooper's new

    Read More

  • The Ministers Black Veil

    468 Words  | 2 Pages

    This being another reason he his wearing the black veil, although it is never clearly stated why he is wearing the black veil. In the "Ministers Black Veil", I believe Mr. Hooper wears the black veil to show the sins of the puritans in the village. I believe this because there are more facts to support this reason. It is stated throughout all of Article Two and throughout some of Article One.

    Read More

  • The Minister's Black Veil Essay

    761 Words  | 4 Pages

    In The Minister’s Black Veil, the veil holds different meanings for the minister and for the people in his congregation. The congregation starts out confused about the meaning, and even though they get hints of the meaning over the years, they never understand it fully, and their obsessive fear of the minister continues even though he remains a good and harmless person. The minister seems to know what the symbolic meaning of the veil is, although he only reveals it slowly in bits and pieces until the climactic scene on his deathbed. He, too, views the veil with fear, because he sees it as a symbol of the secret sin in himself and everyone. In addition to the meaning the veil holds for the congregation and for the minister, it is important to consider the effect of the veil on the relationship between the two.

    Read More

  • What Does The Veil Symbolize In The Minister's Black Veil

    522 Words  | 3 Pages

    Since Mr. Hooper will not break to these cries and pleas he is only separating himself from everyone else and society. Throughout the story “Minister’s Black Veil” Mr. Hooper sacrifices many thing by him wearing the black veil. As a result of Mr. Hooper’s actions he sacrifices his social life, he sacrifices his relationship with his wife Elizabeth, and he is separating himself from society by wearing the black

    Read More

  • What Is The Reason In The Minister's Black Veil

    559 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hooper was wearing the veil to make people that actually did sin feel better about themselves. He was looked at as an idol by everyone so why would he wear a veil for people who did wrong? Mr. Hooper did something someone of his position was sacred to do and he was scared for his fiancée and his church to find out. As a reverend he was not supposed to sin, and that is why everyone looked at him differently and judged him without knowing why he wore the veil. By wearing the veil, he had to commit another sin and lie to his fiancée about why he was wearing it and he broke their vows as a result.

    Read More

  • The Minister's Black Veil Symbolism

    1158 Words  | 5 Pages

    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?

    Read More

  • Examples Of Isolation In The Minister's Black Veil

    279 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “The Minister’s Black Veil”, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the minister, Mr. Hooper wear a black veil which affects his relationship with his community negatively because the people distanced themselves and isolated Mr. Hooper. For example, Elizabeth, Mr. Hooper’s fiancee distances herself from Mr. Hooper. Hawthorne writes, “Then, farewell!” said Elizabeth. She withdrew her arm from his grasp and slowly departed...”. Elizabeth is heading out upset when Mr. Hooper says to her, “Oh!

    Read More

  • Examples Of Alienation In The Minister's Black Veil

    497 Words  | 2 Pages

    In a community of metaphoric veils only the veil seen by the public eye is known as obstructive or harmful. Throughout the story, Hooper was portrayed as a monster for publicly wearing the veil as a symbol of his sins. “To surrender or give up, or permit injury or disadvantage to, for the sake of something else” (Dictionary.com). “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Reverend Hooper sacrificed his love, his dignity, his own happiness, and his position in the community by wearing a veil, which led to his alienation.

    Read More

  • Isolation In The Minister's Black Veil

    668 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mr.Hooper new that throughout his life of trying to get many people to understand why he did such thing like of the black veil. They would never understand why so and/or overpass through the negative reactions of the people towards him for wearing the

    Read More

  • The Minister's Black Veil Literary Analysis

    993 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the “Minister’s Black Veil”, Hawthorne displays Hooper and the symbol of the veil as a representation of how judgmental society can become when faced with situations they don’t understand even though they have no right to judge. The “Minister’s Black Veil” was written as a parable in order to teach us a moral lesson stating that you should never judge someone. In Paul J. Emmett’s literary criticism he tells of a point in the story when Hooper explains his reasoning for wearing the veil, Emmett says, “After exhausting life in his efforts for mankind’s spiritual good, he had made the manner of his death a parable, in order to impress on his admirers the mighty and mournful lesson, that, in the view of infinite purity, we

    Read More

  • Significance Of The Parable In The Minister's Black Veil

    1277 Words  | 6 Pages

    In the Minister’s Black Veil, the black veil has a great significance to the story. The black veil symbolizes the secret sin in society. The sins of humanity are the greatest sin which society hides and ignores. People do not take account of the bad deeds that are going on every single day. This Parable does an outstanding job of doing that because Mr. Hooper goes on with his day normally, but by having that veil on his face it exemplifies that sin is occurring.

    Read More

More about The Minister's Black Veil Summary

Open Document