ipl-logo

Compare And Contrast The Minister's Black Veil And Young Goodman Brown

1206 Words5 Pages

Queen Ahiwe ENG 2327 5003 1 Exam 2 Gothic and Slavery Prof Amy Sidle Prompt A: Hawthorne Two of Hawthorne’s short stories, “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Minister’s Black Veil,” focus on the impact of “sin” on the main characters; two others, provide an argument, using evidence from the stories, for the main point Hawthorne is making in these stories about either sin. Young Goodman Brown is a perfect example of Hawthorne’s favorite theme- that human nature is full of sin and wickedness. Goodman’s journey in the woods is symbolic of our journey through life, where each individual loses his innocence gradually, as a result of exposure to the sins of humankind. Young Goodman Brown left home one evening, to take a walk in the devil’s territory, and discovered that sin exists in every human heart. When he woke up from this evil dream, he is changed. He felt “there is no good on earth; and sin is but a name” (392). He believed that “Evil is the nature of mankind” (394). It was a “dream of evil omen for Young Goodman Brown” (395). The …show more content…

He used the veil to cover his sins, and shield himself from the rest of the world; it was a “type of an innocent sorrow” (414). The veil was also a symbol, to remind the people of the sins they had committed, and are trying to hide. Before Mr. Hooper started wearing the veil, he “had the reputation of a good preacher” (410); the congregation had a lot of respect for him. They referred to him as “good parson Hooper” (409). He was invited to dinner after each sermon, and was welcome at every occasion. But when he started wearing the veil, the congregation avoided him, he was not invited to dinner anymore. “Old Squire Saunders… neglected to invite Mr. Hooper to his table where the good clergyman had been wont to bless the food, almost every Sunday since his settlement” (411). No one wanted to talk to him. His fiancé left him because he refused to remove the

Show More
Related
977 Words | 4 Pages

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

Read More
1092 Words | 5 Pages

“ “Venerable Father Hooper,” said he, “the moment of your release is at hand. Are you ready for the lifting of the veil that shuts in time from eternity?” ” (351). Mr. Hooper yet about to die has not allowed for his veil to be lifted. Since he didn’t want the veil to be lifted, he was most likely truly hiding something from everyone who loved

Read More
560 Words | 3 Pages

By reading the text, you can tell that Reverend Hooper has done something that he awfully regrets and he is wearing this veil out of shame and to detach himself from society and people seeing him. I think he feels like he has let his God and the people of his congregation down and to make up for it, he should use this as a lesson and platform to preaching to his congregation. This is where irony can be picked up on in the story because the reverend is preaching a sermon to the congregation when he is battling his own demons and issues related to the sins he preaches about. The wearing of the black veil also makes me think about those who put on a poker face for people everyday and you never really know what they have going on in their life, good or bad. Many people are good at smiling everyday and pretending everything is okay when deep down they have personal issues or they are hiding secrets like the reverend did.

Read More
227 Words | 1 Pages

Parson Hooper lives in Milford and is reverend. One sunday he arrives at mass with a black veil covering his eyes. After church, the people begin to gossip as to why he wore it. Some say it is to cover up a sin, others say he has gone insane. The strangest part is that he refuses to acknowledge that he is wearing it.

Read More
472 Words | 2 Pages

(Morgan 184) When his fiancée and the only person who has not had a repulsed reaction, Elizabeth, inquires about the veil, he refuses to confess the reason for it to her. Although she never learns of Hooper’s offense, she leaves him until he is on his deathbed. His commitment to his lifelong vow to his God to cover his face is shown when he states to Elizabeth that he intends to have the “mortal veil” between them until they reunite in Heaven. Even as she begs him to show her his face just once, he refuses. (Hawthorne 641-642)

Read More
591 Words | 3 Pages

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s two stories, “Young Goodman Brown” and, “The Minister’s Black Veil” are both great examples of his views on the Puritan church and religion in general. Although both stories have differences in how they approach the topic, the conclusion can be made that there is a similar theme in both of his works. In both “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Hawthorne’s ideas about and problems with religion and religious leaders are explored, and the different viewpoints in both of the stories show two unique examples of the same hypocrisy. Hawthorne’s stories both explore the problem he perceives with organized religion and how religious leaders can be blind to the sanctimonious posturing they perform through the lens of both a member of the congregation and a church leader.

Read More
522 Words | 3 Pages

Hooper wearing the veil this makes everyone consider him an outcast to society. Before the service and old woman said “I don’t like it” and she hobbled into the meeting-house”(Hawthorne 1). As a result of Hooper wearing the veil he makes this old lady avoid his service because she is scared of him. At the close of the service many people went straight home by themselves and the other huddled in small groups and ignored Mr. Hooper and instead talked about him. Nothing, not the pleas of the elders, nor the nudging of Elizabeth , nor his own loneliness can persuade Hooper to remove the piece of black crape that separates him so dramatically from society (Boone).

Read More
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
467 Words | 2 Pages

In his short story “Young Goodman Brown” Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism and imagery to show the concept of good versus evil. Symbolism is essential to literature because it helps create meaning and emotion in a story. Imagery is crucial to literature because it helps create a vivid experience for the reader. Hawthorne uses both to draw the reader in.

Read More
642 Words | 3 Pages

Nathaniel Hawthorne uses his writings in both Young Goodman Brown and The Minister’s Black Veil, to portray the faith in these characters once they experience the reality of man’s sinful nature. Hawthorne writes the story of Young Goodman Brown to create awareness of the power of

Read More
489 Words | 2 Pages

In the text, “Young Goodman Brown”, Brown’s gloom and withdrawal is justified by the shocking events in the forest. This is because, during his time in the forest, be bears witness to supernatural events in which he sees that many people he knows from the path of god are in reality on the path of the devil. For Brown to be justified in his feelings, the events in question must be deemed events that were real. To start, when Brown first exited the woods after witnessing the ritual, he heard Deacon Gookin, a man at the ritual, praying.

Read More
633 Words | 3 Pages

In his tale, Hawthorne disclose the hypocrisy of the Puritan faith with the introduction of the character Young Goodman Brown, who in his attempt to prove his moral nature, takes part in a journey of sacred scrutiny which unescapably outcomes in his loss of faith.

Read More
562 Words | 3 Pages

A certain darkness encompasses each of these stories and helps represent the recurring themes of evil and sin throughout them. In conclusion, “The Minister’s Black Veil” and “Young Goodman Brown” are both strongly based in religion, contain symbolism, and share a dark mood. These elements enrich the stories by conveying the important points included in each one. Hawthorne synthesizes these elements in much of his literature, which explains how these stories are beautifully woven together like a well-crafted

Read More
2066 Words | 9 Pages

Goodman is the best representative of people who have lost their beliefs in the true, the good and the beautiful things on earth; they would rather submit themselves to the evil sides. Many of us are simply a copy of Goodman Brown, swaying back and forth between truth and wrong. Sometimes we can make a righteous decision but other times we are like Goodman Brown destroyed by our own human nature. At the assembly, Devil, who disguised as an old man, says to Goodman Brown, “Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness.”

Read More
1297 Words | 6 Pages

When Goodman Brown is being tempted to go to the witches Sabbath, we see even those who must be the most holy people of the town on their way to the Sabbath, making Goody Cloyse “a marvel, truly, that [she] should be so far in the wilderness at nightfall” (Hawthorne 3). The devil uses this person, especially to try to push Brown over the edge into temptation. Much like there is a ‘Faith’ keeping a person on the mindset of goodness and pureness, there are aspects of life drawing us away from the goodness. Temptation is everywhere and the goal of temptation is to lead you away from purity to the evil. This temptation is often ignored or denied in an attempt to not fall into it.

Read More

More about Compare And Contrast The Minister's Black Veil And Young Goodman Brown

Related Topics

Open Document