ipl-logo

The Minister's Black Veil Theme

317 Words2 Pages

“The Minister’s Black Veil” is actually the representation of the most often referred by Hawthorne theme – the theme of general inclination of all individuals towards the deadly sins, including pride, lust, envy, anger, sloth and so on. This short story is not an exception, as it reveals the author’s bright imagination and talent of presenting his characters. One of the peculiarities of “The Minister’s Black Veil” is an unusual strategy, applied by the author, when he doesn’t reveal the real face of the single character, the readers have the impression that all the rest characters are also masked. The general effect of the writing is rather gloomy and unpleasant. It is next to impossible to find anything positive about an individual, who prefers

Show More
Related

  • Comparing Minister´s Black Veil And Roger Malvin's Burial

    901 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the middle of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short stories, “The Minister’s Black Veil” and “Roger Malvin’s Burial,” that analyze the effects of Puritanism on the topics of secret sin and natural depravity, Hawthorne states “...but pride, the fear of losing her affection, the dread of universal scorn, forbade him to rectify this falsehood.” Reuben, who has arrived at this juncture on whether to tell Dorcas the truth about her father or to keep telling her a lie, fears losing his wife along with her love if he tells her that he, in fact, did not bury her father. A common theme is evident throughout Hawthorne’s short stories, which is that Puritanism causes negativity and fear through pointing out other people’s imperfections and disposing of them. Influenced by an opposition to Puritan ideology, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil” and “Roger Malvin’s Burial” illustrate how secret sin and natural depravity control the lives of the characters with fear and negativity.

    Read More

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

    682 Words  | 3 Pages

    In contrast, “The Minister’s Black Veil,” incorporates a narrative style, with the theme that one cannot hide from their own sins. Hawthorne writes, “There is an hour to come when all of us shall cast aside our veils.” The veil symbolizes sin, so the quote explains that one lives with their sins until death. This is a key line that ties the story’s theme

    Read More

  • Comparing Conformity In The Crucible And A Model Of Christian Charity

    1389 Words  | 6 Pages

    Since The Minister’s Black Veil closely resembles today’s world, readers understand at a deeper level the literary work’s overall meaning which holds that conformity hurts society’s ability to reason and adapt to new circumstances. If the reader realizes how dangerous conformity can be, then they will make a much needed effort to accept and actively learn to

    Read More

  • What Is The Connection Between The Scarlet Letter And The Minister's Black Veil

    947 Words  | 4 Pages

    Nathanial Hawthorne wrote many novels and short stories that focused on themes of sin. Two of these works, “The Minister’s Black Veil” and The Scarlet Letter, both discuss this theme which is one of the many connections that the two works share. Through multiple pieces of evidence, these works demonstrate a focus on the fight beginning in “The Minister’s Black Veil” between servants of the Lord and the devil. In his story “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Nathanial Hawthorne uses knowing diction to depict strong religious tones that represent the way he uses his sin and the sins of others to leave a positive impact on his parishioners in a direct comparison with how Chillingsworth’s sins become a negative representation of sin in The Scarlet Letter.

    Read More

  • What Is The Key Talking Point In The Minister's Black Veil

    199 Words  | 1 Pages

    “The Minister’s Black Veil” entails a key talking point which can be used in deliberate action to sway people into thinking that by changing personal looks with one simple object, this does not change their attitude, persona, and many other attributes. This key talking point represents the idea of judging a person based on looks, clothes, hobbies, etc. to draw conclusions about a person before others get to know them. In “The Minister’s Black Veil”, this object is a black veil which Mr. Hooper uses to prove a point amongst the townsfolk that, even though he may have this mysterious object covering his face, he is still the same person in and out. Mr Hooper did all of the same tasks which he had been doing for many years, such as: going to

    Read More

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

    522 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the short story “Minister's Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Reverend Hooper sacrifices many things by wearing the black veil. Through his choice in wearing the black veil he sacrifices his social life, his relationship with his wife, and he’s now considered an outcast in his community. By wearing the black veil Mr. Hooper sacrificed many things, one of these things is his social life. In the story a woman says “ ‘Truly do I,’ replied the lady; and I would not be alone with him for the world”(Hawthorne 3).

    Read More

  • 'The Minister's Black Veil'

    337 Words  | 2 Pages

    This week discussion was very difficult for me to understand because I have never been taught how to really understand poems or literature. The short story I choose to discuss is “The Minister’s Black Veil” (Hawthorne). When I first started to read this prose piece of literature, I thought it was about a minister dealing with several funerals and a lot of sermons (Editors). After, reading the story several times, I started to see more of what I believe to be an approach to sin and how it affects people’s views in a small town. I believe the theme of this story is about sin and guilt and how the minister wore the black veil on his face as a symbol of hiding our sins and how people never really want to face them or see their own sins.

    Read More

  • Irony In The Minister's Black Veil

    1499 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Story Behind the Veil “The Minister’s Black Veil” is arguably one of the most famous short stories in the history of American Literature. The author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, is an extremely well known writer who is recognized for his many works. From The Scarlet Letter to The House of the Seven Gables, Hawthorne’s exceptional literary skills are portrayed in each and every one of his stories.

    Read More

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

    1113 Words  | 5 Pages

    Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the most studied and influential writers in history. His many works use symbolism and allegory to portray their purpose, filling them with deep meaning and offering a wide variety of interpretation. Hawthorne was not particularly proud of his family history; he disagreed with some of his ancestors positions in the salem witch trials. He distanced himself with that part of his family and added a “w” to his name to further do so. Hawthorne was born in Salem Massachusetts, which gave him a prevalent theme of puritanism in many of his stories.

    Read More

  • Significance Of Romanticism In The Minister's Black Veil

    1730 Words  | 7 Pages

    There are stories that even though they seem to have no meaning, they are the ones that help us think the most and they open our eyes to the reality we are too afraid to realize. Nevertheless,The Minister’s Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of those stories that you can analyze and interpret in any way, but it still gives you the same meaning that you need to take in and realize. The Minister’s Black Veil has many symbols, motifs, and themes that we all can connect or identify with ourselves because it connects you to a reality that is known to all human nature. The Minister’s Black Veil was written during the time of American Romanticism, which in effect can lead us to the conclusion that Romanticism characteristics happen to appear

    Read More

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

    559 Words  | 3 Pages

    In "The Ministers Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne "The reason that it is difficult for the congregation and even his fiancée to look upon him is that they only see the veil. " The minister is hiding his face because he is afraid that what he is hiding will show to the people of the church and his fiancée. Mr. Hooper is wearing the veil because he committed a sin; and is hiding it from the town and his church First of all, Mr. Hooper is hiding behind the veil to ensconce his sins is because it is bigger than all the other sins everyone else has admitted. The article said that it could be him hiding a inclination he is having for a female.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Tell Tale Heart And Minister's Black Veil

    976 Words  | 4 Pages

    Imagine darkness, sin, and the desire to keep it all hidden from yourself and the outside world. Together Poe and Hawthorne paint this picture of traits which consist of suspense and darkness. Within the stories “Tell Tale Heart” and “Ministers Black Veil”, the two authors writing styles are vividly comparable. With the comparison of these short stories, it becomes more than feasible to feel the true emotion and movement that Poe and Hawthorne wished to give to their readers.

    Read More

  • The Minister's Black Veil Symbolism

    1158 Words  | 5 Pages

    The themes that are portrayed by the veil reveals, the tension between the minister and the community. Every person has something to hide from the world, the veil is symbolic for the cover up of the people’s secrets. Although most people would not wear a veil to hide their secrets from others, the minister is proving a point. By wearing a simple black veil Mr. Hooper is making all the villagers evaluate their everyday actions closely. The symbolic value of the black veil creates a dilemma that it between the minister and his environment, and the guilt that the veil also conveys.

    Read More

  • Isolation In The Minister's Black Veil

    668 Words  | 3 Pages

    What can you expect from a minister from changing persona where people use to see him as a “gentlemanly men, of about thirty, though still a bachelor, was dressed with due clerical neatness.” Then have a change in his appearance where it drastically changes his life. By a piece of cloth over his head accounts reactions of the congregation to it, the veil, a black veil that changed the image and the reactions of the people from Westbury. It is just a man, Mr.Hooper, who Hawthorne is modulating between dramatic incidents involving the black veil and Mr.Hooper approaches dramatic reactions towards it, in the short story the “Minister’s Black Veil”. The key symbol of the short story is the black veil it represented the spiritual isolation between

    Read More

  • The Minister's Black Veil Literary Analysis

    993 Words  | 4 Pages

    “ We magnify the flaws in others that we secretly see in ourselves” -Baylor Barbee. In “ The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the main character Reverend Hooper is alienated by his community because he is the wearer of a mysterious black veil. Reverend Hooper is the reverend of his community’s church and has always been well respected by his surrounding peers. One day, Hooper shows up to his church and preaches the sermon wearing a mysterious black veil causing his peers to alienate him. Throughout the story, Hooper’s actions portray just how judgmental our society really is.

    Read More

More about The Minister's Black Veil Theme

Open Document