In the 19th century, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe were known for their use of gothic elements in their types of writing. The plot of gothic literature novels typically involves people who become involved in complex and oftentimes evil paranormal schemes, usually against an innocent and helpless heroine. Poe used gothic dimensions to explore the human mind in extreme situations. Hawthorne examined the human heart under conditions of fear, vanity, mistrust, and betrayal. Even though Hawthorne and Poe used the gothic elements, they still used different types of darkness to portray their writing to the reader.
“Love, whether newly born or aroused from a deathlike slumber, must always create sunshine, filling the heart so full of radiance, that it overflows upon the outward world.” That is a quote the novel, The Scarlet Letter, a novel written during the Romanticism era of literature. Nathaniel Hawthorne is the author of The Scarlet Letter and the Minister’s Black Veil. The Scarlet Letter takes place in the 1600s in the Puritan town of Boston. Hester Prynne is the main character, and the subject of humiliation after she is caught committing adultery and gives birth to a child, Pearl.
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
Religion was one of the center of Puritan life and a key concept to how they lived their lives. This is why there were influential leaders such as Jonathan Edwards, a preacher who was very passionate about what he believed in, that intimidated Puritans into believing what will lead you into heaven. A famous author of this time period is Nathaniel Hawthorne, who wrote the novel The Scarlet Letter and the short story “The Minister’s Black Veil,” in which Parson Hooper portrays a questionable model for the Puritan community. The sermons of Jonathan Edwards and “The Minister’s Black Veil” both correctly represent the way Puritan beliefs shaped society.
Throughout the years, many people have discussed the topic of sin. However, one man took it upon himself to write many tales about sin and what it entails, as well as the perception of others in regard to it. This man, Nathaniel Hawthorne, wrote several short stories, each withluci their own insight into his view of sin. In his stories The Minister’s Black Veil and Ethan Brand, Hawthorne paints a picture of sin in a way that he believed reflected reality and the true nature of mankind. To do this, Hawthorne does not need any shocking villains or dashing heroes, but merely the actions and words of regular people.
Everyone has secrets they can hide in mortal life, but no secret is off-limits in the hereafter. In analyzing this idea, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil” utilizes dramatic irony to reveal the inner hypocrisy within a congregation of Puritans. The story follows a small town minister’s surprising choice to arrive on the Sabbath dressed in a black veil. There is not a word of explanation, to the congregation's confusion and fear—leading them to believe their minister possesses some secret sin. As the story progresses, it is revealed that nobody in the town is as pure as they appear.
When trying to get a point across, authors might take different routes from one another. Nathaniel Hawthorne and Jonathan Edwards, two famous writers, both had ties to the Puritan community through their works. While Hawthorne’s short story “The Minister’s Black Veil” was written many years after the actual Puritan times, Edward’s sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is directed towards the Puritans of that time. There are not only numerous differences, such as when the works were written, the way certain literary devices are used, and the tone of the passages, within the two works but also some similarities like who the works are addressing, how they both speak of the spiritual world, and how they urge bettering one’s self. Both works
The stories “Minister’s Black Veil” and “Young Goodman Brown” both portray the theme of loss and secrecy. Women, specifically Faith and Elizabeth, bring to light some of the conflicts and foreshadow the outcome of the story. The women in the stories “Minister’s Black Veil” and “Young Goodman Brown” represent the outcomes of the story with their name or their secrecy towards the main character. “Minister’s Black Veil” reveals the theme of secrecy and grief among people. The main character, Mr. Hooper, wears a black veil over his face like a blanket of secrets.
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards and “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne are two rather similar pieces of writing, not in style, but in topic. While they are almost completely different in the entirety of it all, they do somewhat hover over some of the same concepts, such as the wickedness and evil that is present in mankind, both on a personal level and on a broad spectrum. Both of these writings have very different themes and writings styles though. Jonathan Edwards takes a more direct approach, as it is actually a sermon that he once delivered to his Puritan church. Nathaniel, however, writes his in the view of a narrative, and that has a completely different effect; in this case, a better one.
In the “Minister's Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hawthorne looks to convey the wrongs of the Puritan faith through a character in his story. Hawthorne effectively does this through his use of Mr. Hooper, a man who embodies all of the Puritan faith and a man who would be admired by many of his religion. Hawthorne uses both Mr. Hooper and the veil Hooper wears to portray and criticize the issues of sin and morality within the Puritan faith. Before diving in to all that Hawthorne exposes of the Puritan faith, historical context is vital to understanding Hawthorne’s purpose of writing his story.
They feel dread and fear when they do not see the sky for long time. They make conversation each other as: “Sweetest Eve, where are we? “Exclaims the new Adam, ____ for speech, or some equivalent mode of expression, is born with them, and comes just as natural as breath;___ “Methinks I do not recognize this place. “ “Nor I dear Adam, “replies the new Eve, “And what a strange place too! Let me come closer to thy side and behold thee only; for all other sights trouble and perplex my spirit” (747).
Dark Romanticism consisted mostly of anthropomorphic visuals of Satan, ghouls, zombies, and so on, all being shown as emblems of human nature. With these dark and dreary tones, dark Romanticism also incorporated the delight and pleasure of being in love. Conceivably, dark romantic stories involved psychological torment of love that could be an impure love, making the entire genre seem more lustful than love filled. The melancholy tones of this era were also very common and subjegated readers to more thought provoking ideas, making it one the most popular themes of the time. This type of writing displayed many lessons to coincide with the peculiar and dark imagery within stories.
Similarities of “The Minister’s Black Veil” and “Young Goodman Brown” “The Minister’s Black Veil” and “Young Goodman Brown” are two short stories written by Nathaniel Hawthorne that share many similarities. In his writings, Hawthorne displays a fascination with the Puritanical beliefs and ideals associated with sin and wickedness. Such ideals serve as a common thread that weaves the stories together by using a religious base, symbolism, and a dark mood. First, Hawthorne’s meticulous usage of religion is the foundation of both stories.
During the 1800s Dark Romanticism, sometimes referred to as Gothic Romanticism, entered the world of literature. Unlike the writings before this time, Dark Romanticism showed the sinful thoughts that had not been previously shown in the world. Unlike the previous fiction stories or novels such as fairytales that used creative, positive stories to escape reality, these dark and sometimes supernatural writings eluded reality by taking its readers into disturbing and sometimes sacrilegious situations. Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne both used symbols to illustrate elements of Dark Romanticism. The symbols within the stories of these great writers revealed the impending darkness and gloom that characterized Dark Romanticism.
There are a handful of examples of novellas primarily utilizes the Dark Romanticism as its central theme. One of this is the novel Oliver Twist which was authored by Charles Dickens. In detail, Dickens featured protagonists who were prostitutes, murderers, pick- pockets, and house breakers. In other words, it presented the rawness of the human nature with emphasis to the sinister side of humanity (Horne). Notably, Dickens had written in the 1841 edition of the Oliver Twist
