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Nathaniel Hawthorne The Minister's Black Veil

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Recommended: Analysis of the salem witch trials

Ellisa Gladney
29 March 2016
English 214
Dr. McCray
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts, on July 4, 1804, into the sixth generation of his Salem family. His ancestors included businessmen, judges, and seamen—all Puritans, a strict religious discipline. Nathaniel Hawthorne is best known for The Scarlet Letter and The House of Seven Gables. http://www.notablebiographies.com/Gi-He/Hawthorne-Nathaniel.html#ixzz44KMA6UdG. According to encyclopedia.com, the work of American fiction writer Nathaniel Hawthorne was mostly based on the history of his Puritan ancestors and the New England of his own day but, in its "power of blackness," has universal significance. The dark short stories, parable, and novels that Hawthorne …show more content…

Hawthorne had a grim and evil view of life. I believe that he wanted us to realize that everyone has something immoral about them. I think he used the minister because it is sometimes the people who are high in power that are most immoral, just as his grandfather had. The Salem Witch Trials were witchcraft events that began in late February 1692 and lasted through April 1693. At least twenty-five people died: nineteen were executed by hanging, one was tortured to death, and at least five died in jail due to harsh conditions. Over 160 people were accused of witchcraft, most were jailed, and many deprived of property and legal rights (http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/overview.html). During this time several innocent people were killed. I would say that this writing was indirectly affected by the Salem Witch Trials. This was Hartshorne’s opportunity to express that sometimes it is the people with power that are the most evil. In this story Hawthorne talks about how the veil plays a major part at the funeral and wedding. I believe that the veil was a way of the Puritans. The Puritans believed that every area of life should be molded by Christian principles; the Puritans saw all honorable work as a means of glorifying God. With the veil keeping their faces covered this would keep them pure. Their beliefs had a most significant influence on the subsequent development of America

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