Use Of Diction In The Minister's Black Veil

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, “The Minister’s Black Veil,” he uses enthralling diction in order to captivate the reader’s attention on how sins and secrets can ruin one’s life, socially and intimately. Hawthorne continuously dwells on how the main character, Parson Hooper, feels the need to withhold some sort of duplicitous falsehood. He demonstrates this by creating a visual of alienation from Reverend Hooper by his congregation and himself. Hawthorne also includes how the crape represents a dark enigma within itself, leaving the reader puzzled on the truth behind the mysterious fabric upon Hooper’s face.

Hooper’s unorthodox facial apparel sparked suspicion amongst his entire congregation, which projected their alienation from him.

Throughout the short story, Hooper feels as if the veil projects his sin rather than keeping it secret; “...[A]lthough its function is concealment of sin, it actually, in the minister’s case, functions to expose sin” (Boone 1). Sin is displayed in many ways, some ways are stranger than others. It is up to the sinner to decide if they are willing to protect themselves through withdrawal from society, or by exposing themselves freely to the world while there is something symbolizing their sin on their body. In the midst of Hooper’s alleged sin, individuals became obsessed with what he was hiding, rather than the sins they have been committing. One tends to shun another to take away attention from their own sins; “...they should see their own veils instead of fixating on what is possibly behind his” (Boone 1). It is inevitable for an individual to lose hold of their intimate issues while fueling the negativity of others. More would love to see their fellow brethren fall into the hands of the enemy, rather than uplifting them with powerful words of encouragement. Although the minister felt as if the sin was revealed, his congregation still followed the belief that he was hiding something direful. The veil constantly reminded Hooper’s congregation and the actual reader that something was hidden, as said continuously throughout the short story. Hooper also tries to express how everyone

He treads carefully through Milford, attempting to maintain his everyday life while blatantly hiding sin. The minister is prepared for death, “...he is preparing for eternal happiness…” but him not wanting to disclose the reason of the dark crape, leaves a trail of suspense throughout the entire story (Deines 1). Hawthorne captures the reader’s attention continuously as he aims closer to the thought of Hooper beginning to reveal his reasoning. Hawthorne also feeds the constant theme of isolation by noting that the reverend is reluctant on sharing the story behind the crape. Even Elizabeth, Hooper’s fiance, wanted him to do away with this veil very badly. She pleaded with him to get rid of it for the sake of their relationship, “For the sake of your holy office do away with this scandal,” but he just did not care (Hawthorne 1). Therefore, Hooper isolates himself from his relationship through sacrifice because he is unwilling to remove the crape. Love is not important when it seems as if you are only trying to withhold your inner secrets. At times a wedge can be driven between a relationship; “ ...believing that the veil ‘must’ be drawn between the most intimate, the most immediate relation” (Deines 1). Relationships die everyday due to lack of communication or hidden truths. In the minister’s case, he did not care about losing his loved one as long as he could keep his odd predicament