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Essay On The Minister's Black Veil

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Walk around a public place, one filled with people, look around and what do you see? A bunch of people happy to be there, going around greeting everyone with a smile on their face, or do you see a more dark side? Do you see people has harboring secret sins, all holding a dark side that no one knows but yourself. In the story “ The Minister's Black Veil,” that dark side is exactly what author Nathaniel Hawthorne is perceiving in his story which was published in 1832. The story takes place in a small village with the town's church as the highlight, where the Minister named Mr. Hooper wears a black veil made of crape. The black veil represents secret sin, which is sin that no one knows about, therefore hidden but the minister admits he has this hidden sin and demonstrates …show more content…

It continues in the next paragraph of another clergy member Goodman Gray asking,”are you sure it is our Parson,” this is even more shock being displayed. At this point people could not believe their parson, and thought he was crazy. This happens today on the news you see a riot or protest to any change, especially if they don’t know why the change was made, they will either agree or disagree. It wasn’t until Mr. Hooper told the clergy in his sermon, which had a dark tingling feeling to it as he referenced secret sin and all sad mysteries we hide from our nearest and dearest. Now that the clergy know the veil represents sin, it reminds them of their own sin and makes them uneasy of that feeling. The veil does a great job at representing this as every time they see the veil and in the minister's last sight he sees everyone around him wearing black veils showing they are all aware of their own

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It is a close knit town where everybody knows each other. As the story progresses, it is seen how people will avoid even the most loved friends and family once there is a mysterious barrier in between them. So, throughout the story, the minister’s black veil symbolizes a variety of things such as: secret sins, a barrier, and even sorrow. First off, I think that Father Hooper’s black veil symbolizes everyone’s secret sins. In the beginning of the story, church begins and Hooper appears concealed by a black veil, and everybody is mystified.

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Which allows me to signify that another theme that this story hides is sorrow, there’s a lot of sadness and grief throughout the story. “Have patience with me, Elizabeth!” “ Do not desert me, though this veil must be between us here on earth” (242). “The black veil separated him from cheerful brotherhood and woman’s love.” Hence, one of the major themes of “The Minister’s Black Veil” is that those who acknowledge the secrets of their hearts and those who choose to stand apart from their fellows will often find that they are ostracized and may well lead lives of loneliness, prisoners in their own hearts”( Reed 3 ).

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Hawthorne depicts a community that hides its sins and ostracizes those who display them. On Parson Hooper’s deathbed he finally resolves the mystery of the black veil. He states, “I look around me, and lo! On every visage a black veil!” (Hawthorne 9) He explains that it is not he who is hiding his sins with a “black veil” but rather everyone else hiding from the fact that they have sins.

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The Minister Black Veil Mr. Hooper put on the black veil, which changed his life until death. Although, the town knew him before the veil, their feeling changed drastically after the veil. It is human nature to judge one’s feelings by someone’s facial expressions and body language. Mr. Hooper was trying thorough symbolism to show that everyone has something to cover up. In the end, Mr. Hooper life was lonely and sacrificed, by choosing to wear the veil.

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We all have a symbol in our life, whether to represent who we are, or what we believe in, what would your symbol be? In the parable “The Minister’s Black Veil” it talks about a minister named Mr. Hooper that one day decided to wear a black veil. He says that we all have a mask on our faces to hide all of the sins we have done. So, Mr. Hooper’s symbol is a black veil, and depends on the person to decide how they are going to react to it. I believe that in the parable “The Minister’s Black Veil” the black veil that Mr.Hooper wears is a symbol that meant life.

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“The Minister’s Black Veil” describes how everyone is wearing a veil because no one is really who they say they are.     On page 6 of “The Minister’s Black Veil,” the reader sees that Mr. Hooper was also scared of himself in the reflection in the mirror (Hawthorne 6). He was also scared because of what all he had become. Mr. Hooper had become overwhelmed with his guilt from sin. Not only was he scaring himself, he was also scaring the members of his church.

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(Hawthorne, 5) The minister says this to show that the veil represents the secret sin that one will carry with them while on earth. Despite the fact that they have different ideas , both authors are able to reveal a greater meaning through

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"Hooper's veil is an "emblem"... His veil is a symbol of regret and shame"(McCarththy 132). Whereas the black veil indicates the secret sin that all people carry in their hearts according to "The Minister's Black Veil". There is a variety of symbolic meanings that can be applied to the black veil, but it is not ambiguously specified what the actual meaning is.

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In the Minister’s Black Veil, Nathaniel Hawthorne's purpose was to reveal how acknowledging one's sin leads to ostracization of an individual and uncovers they hypocritical nature of an individual. Indeed, once Mr. Hooper, a well known compassionate person, dons a black veil to symbolize his own sin, he becomes ostracized and heavily criticized by his fellow villagers despite the fact that their judgement is a sin of its own. Not once did the villagers attempt to uncover the symbolization of the veil, but instead speculated, gossiped, what possible crime Revered Hooper must have committed. Thus, Hooper’s decision to make his sin visible leads to the Parishioners to fear him, withdraw their companionship, and effectively ostracized him from

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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.

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People from other places wanting to see him just to see the “minister with the black veil”. Many other dying sinners were always welcoming him to preach all their sins to him before they left their dying beds. “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, but ever summoned to their aid of mortal anguish.” (14, Hawthorne) Eventually, all those stares and reactions towards his black veil made his life miserable and everywhere he sees himself in the glass mirror Mr.Hooper is unable to see himself again like he uses to do before. Among his death bed, his beloved Elizabeth came to take care of him and Reverend Mr.Clark to seek him into conclusion and to help him leave those sins so much he had attached himself to liberate him to the spiritual light.

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Society does not let you become who you are or who you could really be. It puts certain limits on you or you will be criticized. The Minister's Black Veil is a story related to society’s judgment on your appearance. Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author, really sets out an idea of how he views society. The story is about a priest who decided to wear a black veil over his face, only letting his mouth peek out.

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In, “The Minister’s Black Veil”, Mr. Hooper is involved in a “secret sin”. Although we do not know what this secret sin is, he hides his face behind a black viel. Mr. Hooper says, “There is a black veil on every face.” The veil affects Mr. Hooper’s life in many different ways.

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However, true Christianity comes with knowing that we are and never will be perfect, but that God is strong in our weaknesses. Therefore, there is really no reason for the minister to be hiding behind his veil. Another example of irony in “The Minister’s Black Veil” comes with the initial reaction of the people. At first, they look at their own minister and the veil he is wearing in horror (Hawthorne 281).

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