No human is safe from the temptation of sin, or the judgement of God. When asked for one final time, as Mr. Hooper lay on his deathbed, why he wore the veil for so long, Mr. Hooper replies that he sees a black veil on everyone’s face. He believes that everyone lives their lives in a state of sin, and that the veil is a vain attempt to hide sins from each other. By physically representing this belief onto his own face, Mr. Hooper became a powerful figure within the community. The veil struck fear into the congregation, with people’s own sins being reflected onto him.
The people understood Hooper’s veil as a sort of concealing a secret sin, or an act of pure insanity and therefore shunned away from him. “In this manner Mr. Hooper spent a long life, irreproachable in outward act, yet shrouded in dismal suspicions: kind and loving though unloved and dimly feared; a man apart from men, shunned in their health and joy” (11). The shallow analysis of the town people of the true representation of Hooper’s veil, led to the creation of a fence between Mr. Hooper and his congregation instead of dismantling the fake façade that separate people’s inner souls from the apparent personalities. Perhaps Mr. Hooper underestimated the fear of admitting sin among people; therefore, instead of evoking people to acknowledge that everyone hides a secret sin behind a “veil” of pretenses, believes, and behavior, Hooper was himself accused of hiding a sin as Elizabeth declared, “… there may be whispers that you hide your face under the consciousness of secret sin” (8). The writing style of Hawthorne is unclear whether Hooper intended to show that each person lives in a state of sin to start with, or whether he simply wanted to make a point that Sunday morning to go along with the topic of his sermon.
In the “Minister's Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the main character named Mr. Hooper who wears a black veil. Hawthorne uses symbolism to represent secret sin and shows the theme is death. In the story Hooper wears a black veil which symbolizes hiding sin. “But what if the world will not believe that it is the type of an innocent sorrow?” urged Elizabeth. “Beloved and respected as you are, there may be whispers that you hide your face under the consciousness of secret sin.
Soon after Hooper puts on the veil the congregation begins to act differently. “No one competed for the honor of walking beside him, however, and old Squire Saunders forgot to invite him home for dinner as he usually did.” Even though he is present at the funeral and the wedding, His veil creates a sense of isolation. “People ignored him when they were healthy and joyous, but they summoned him when they were dying.” Because his veil concealed Hoopers friendliness and sealed him off from the world, people became apprehensive around him in their joy, but in their grief and sadness, they felt comfort in the separation of the veil. At his death-bed, only Elizabeth, his old fiance was there, but as his nurse, not his wife. Hooper’s life after he started wearing the veil was so lonely and isolated he had no-one to comfort him at his death-bed.
In the story “The Minister’s Black Veil” the people in the village started to judge Mr.Hooper because of the veil. They all wanted to know why their minister suddenly began to wear a black veil hiding his face from them. He no longer fit in with the people in the village and he didn’t meet their expectations of what a minister should be like so they started saying things about Mr.Hooper. At the beginning of the story when they were in the church and Mr.Hooper began wearing the veil a person
These themes can be seen throughout the story as Mr. Hooper, the main character as a Reverend, punishes himself over a sin that is never revealed. He punishes himself to the utmost ability by blocking himself from the rest of the world, which in turn causes him to lose his social status and soon become a dark and mysterious man. Although society often frowns upon unexplained or uncommon beliefs, one should still be bound to them even if there are those who greatly oppose it, like Reverend Hooper had done in “The Minister’s Black Veil”. Even though Mr. Hooper is in a healthy relationship with his wife, he says, “Know, then this veil is a type and a symbol, and I am bound to wear it ever, both in light and darkness, in solitude and before the gaze of multitudes, and as with strangers, so with my familiar friends. No mortal eye will see it withdrawn.
“He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face” (Hawthorne XXX) The Minister’s Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the story of a clergyman and a black veil that scares all who see it. Hawthorne’s short story pushes the theme that “Everyone has a black veil and hides who they really are” through dialogue and character’s action. This means every person either hides their unpopular opinions/beliefs or is hiding a secret sin. Dialogue evidence can be found in a conversation between Mr. Hooper and Elizabeth, and what is said at Mr. Hooper’s death bed. Evidence from character actions is seen in how Elizabeth hides her love from Mr. Hooper, and how the whole town treats him with his black veil on.
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. If that is the reason, then he would have to hide that from his church in order to not feel humiliated.
“The Minister’s black veil” The relationship between Mr. Hooper and the Black veil is that Mr. Hooper never takes off his black veil. He always takes it around with him, the Black Veil covers his body except for his mouth and chin. No one knows why he takes it around with him but it was rumored that Mr. Hooper was wearing the black veil for his own secret sins or that he made a commitment to a young woman , He is known as death. Mr. Hooper is known as a mysterious and an evil character in the story. He’s a tormented soul and feels the need to let everyone know by veiling his face, Mr. Hooper wants to keep his identity a secret from other people.
He struggled with his secret sin and was alone most of his life due to everyone being against his beliefs . Furthermore, the death of Mr. Hooper shows an additional characteristic of American Romanticism. In Romantic stories protagonist has stretched and exaggerated deaths. This is clearly seen