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. …show more content…
This shows that physically he sees everything with a darker tint, but when one considers the minister shuddering after viewing his reflection wearing the veil (“The Minister’s” 277) or a corpse shuddering upon seeing the inside of the veil (“The Minister’s 276-277), it becomes clear that the veil has more than mere physical properties. The minister is buried with the veil on (“The Minister’s 284) and it retains its properties while buried as seen in Nathanial Hawthorne’s book, The Scarlet Letter. In the Scarlet Letter, another servant of the Lord, Reverend Dimmesdale, is struck ill around the same time …show more content…
The minister wore the veil to benefit the town. Upon Mr. Hooper putting on the veil, Hawthorn states “but there was something, either in the sentiment in the discourse itself, or in the imagination of the auditors, which made it greatly the most powerful effort that they had ever heard from their pastor’s lips” (“The Minister’s” 275). The minister was also able to better sympathies with his parishioners upon seeing their sins. Furthermore, the minister asked to be buried in the veil fearing that it would fall into the wrong hands. The minister also purposefully or otherwise prevented a presumable effect of the veil as seen by the brutality of the town and by the extreme hatred inspired in Chillingsworth upon moving to the town. The townspeople noticed this in Chillingsworth stating “to sum up the matter, it grew to be a widely diffused opinion, that the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, like many other parsonages of especial sanctity, in all ages of the Christian world was haunted wither by Satan himself, or Satan’s emissary, in the guise of old Roger Chillingsworth” (The Scarlet Letter 118). This shows that the corruption had spread through Chillingsworth had become noticeable to the town. While controlled by someone like the Minister, the veil’s effects are positive; however, when uncontrolled, that sin can be
Guilt: God’s Gift that Keeps on Giving The Puritan religion’s view on sin consists of the belief that all puritans should live a sanctified life. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s works, The Scarlet Letter, and “The Minister’s Black Veil”, Reverend Dimmesdale (The Scarlet Letter), and Minister Hooper (“The Minister’s Black Veil”) are both leaders in the Puritan church. Amongst their superior roles, they both committed sin against God’s will. Consequently, for their inappropriate acts, Dimmesdale and Hooper both live the rest of their lives striving for redemption.
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.
Edwards and Hawthorne Is sin truly the root to all evil? Authors Nathaniel Hawthorne and Jonathan Edwards believe so. Through their own writing styles and stories, each author develop a theme regarding sin. “The Minister’s Black Veil,” and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” each incorporate comparing and contrasting themes and styles. Although each selection develops its own theme, “The Minister’s Black Veil” has a far more effective one.
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.
“The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards both convey their ideas on sin and staying true to beliefs. Both authors approach this in different ways. While Hawthorne approaches these ideas through the minister and his black veil in a less straightford way, Jonathan Edwards challenges the reader’s understanding of Puritan ideals of religion by creating a sense of fear amongst his congregation through his anger and directness. Edward was more effective in his methods because he creates a sense of fear and fear many times forces change.
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
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.
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.
A Sinner Black Veil In the story “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the reader can infer that Mr. Hooper teaches his community the lesson that everyone wears a black veil and has secret sins that are hidden from others. The author states that “if I cover it for secret sin, what mortal might not do the same?” In addition, Mr. Hooper wearing the black veil puzzles his community. The reason for that is that a priest does not wear a black veil and preaches in front of everyone in an act of betrayal of the belief in Jesus.
In the short story “The Minister’s Black Veil” and the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the stories of two men who keep their sins secret and are hurt deeply. In The Scarlet Letter, Reverend Dimmesdale does not reveal his sin to the community and experiences far more pain than Hester, whose sin is revealed. Years after the original sin, Hester has healed and is accepted by the community, while Dimmesdale still feels guilty, as can be seen when he mounts the scaffold. Dimmesdale’s experience is similar to that of Reverend Hooper, who covers his face after a secret sin and is eschewed by the community. When we refuse to admit our faults, we will feel guilty
It caused him to lose much of what he had. Elizabeth, his wife, wanted to understand why he wore that veil and what it meant. The minister spoke, “There is an hour to come, when all of us shall cast aside our veils. Take it not amiss, beloved friend, if I wear this piece of crape till then. "
The veil that the minister wears in "The Ministers Black Veil", by Nathanial Hawthorne represents both the minister’s isolation from society and also his connection to society through sin. This symbolism of the veil is no immediately obvious, but later on throughout the story becomes noticeable. In the story when the minister, Mr. Hooper first walks out of his house wearing the black veil, everyone was startled. No one quite understood why the minister would be wearing this veil for no specific reason.
“Having all it’s... efficient clergyman” (Hawthorne 185). This show how Hawthorne conveys Hoopers position in the community before and after wearing the veil. Throughout the “The Minister’s Black Veil” Nathaniel Hawthorne uses fiction to show how Mr. Hooper’s love, dignity, happiness, and position in the community was sacrificed.
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
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