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Scarlet Letter And The Minister's Black Veil By Nathaniel Hawthorne

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THESIS: In the literary pieces The Scarlet Letter and “The Minister’s Black Veil”, Nathaniel Hawthorne emphasizes the negative effects of guilt and sin through the presence of Puritan ideals, the symbolism of sin, and the motif of the nature of evil. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s experiences within the Puritan community greatly impacted his writing style. The Scarlet Letter and “The Minister’s Black Veil” each contain Puritan ideals that are used to convey the negative effects of guilt and sin. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses Puritan ideals to create a strict, judgmental community where sins are taken very seriously. When Hester first appears on the scaffold, she receives a great amount of judgment from her Puritan community. Hawthorne says, …show more content…

The minister of a Puritan community, Mr. Hooper, covers his face with a veil to remind members of the town of their sins. Hawthorne writes, “The next day, the whole village of Milford talked of little else than Parson Hooper’s black veil. That, and the mystery concealed behind it, supplied a topic for discussion between acquaintances meeting in the street, and good women gossiping at their open windows” (Hawthorne 6). The Puritans of Mr. Hooper’s community do not understand why he is wearing the veil and assume it is because he feels guilty for a sin he has committed. Puritan obsession with judgment of sin is being expressed at this time of the story. Many members are the town are gossiping about a religious leader because they believe he has committed a sin. Barna argues that “What makes Hawthorne so modern is that he took the Puritan doctrine and psychologized it. He did this by pointing out the dark motives--self-righteousness, quest for power--that lie beneath many outwardly benevolent actions” (Barna 14). Hawthorne uses Puritan ideals in his literary works, such as “The Minister’s Black Veil” to show the dark side of Puritan society by displaying how harshly they treat sinners. Although it may seem like the townspeople are worried about Mr. Hooper for sinning, they are actually just

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The Minister’s Black Veil, also by Hawthorne, tells the story of Mr. Hooper, minister in another Puritan town. The minister shocks the townspeople when one day he

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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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Sin is an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law. Despite the moral principles recognized in everyone, it is so often that individuals succumb to the instant gratification of sin. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the plot is centered around a group of Puritans living in Boston Massachusetts, where the avoidance of sin is one of their most absolute doctrines. He truly captures how sin affects individuals in a strict civilization through the use of various rhetorical devices, focusing on the symbolism of the characters, the distinct tone employed to convey specific messages, and the analogies further that emphasize and develop the effects of sin on individuals.

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In this story, the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, uses imagination over reason. “ When Hooper begins to wear the veil, he introduces the idea that even the minister may have dark sins to hide(Becnel).” I agree with this opinion. The minister wore this veil because literally everyone can have sinned. He wore it as a symbol representing that he isn’t as “pure” as everyone would think.

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In “The Minister’s Black Veil”, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the minister, Mr. Hooper wear a black veil which affects his relationship with his community negatively because the people distanced themselves and isolated Mr. Hooper. For example, Elizabeth, Mr. Hooper’s fiancee distances herself from Mr. Hooper. Hawthorne writes, “Then, farewell!” said Elizabeth. She withdrew her arm from his grasp and slowly departed...”. Elizabeth is heading out upset when Mr. Hooper says to her, “Oh!

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In The Minister’s Black Veil, the veil holds different meanings for the minister and for the people in his congregation. The congregation starts out confused about the meaning, and even though they get hints of the meaning over the years, they never understand it fully, and their obsessive fear of the minister continues even though he remains a good and harmless person. The minister seems to know what the symbolic meaning of the veil is, although he only reveals it slowly in bits and pieces until the climactic scene on his deathbed. He, too, views the veil with fear, because he sees it as a symbol of the secret sin in himself and everyone. In addition to the meaning the veil holds for the congregation and for the minister, it is important to consider the effect of the veil on the relationship between the two.

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Hawthorne, influenced by his Puritan ancestors, criticize Puritanism by the use of symbols and parables. The veil worn by Reverend Hooper in “The Minister’s Black Veil” separates him from society, and from God. Whether this separation is voluntary or imposed depends on how one looks at the situation. Voluntary, Reverend Hooper knows that his wearing the veil will cause people to avoid him, and yet he wears in anyway. It is apparent in that Revered Hooper would really prefer to be treated normally by his neighbors and parishioners.

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Despite knowing the Pastor Hooper for a long time, the people of the town turn their backs on him because of the ‘unsightly veil’ that he would wear.” “I don’t like it,” muttered an old woman….”He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face.” (Hawthorne). Lastly, when Hawthorne

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In the story, “The Minister's Black Veil” Hawthorne states, “how strange,’ said a lady ‘that a simple black veil, such as women might wear on her bonnet, should become such a terrible thing on Mr.Hooper's face!” A lady was talking about how people are overreacting about the veil on Hooper’s face and how if a lady wore one no one would think anything of it. In the story, Hooper states, “loathsomely treasuring up the secret of his sin; then deem me a monster, for the symbol beneath which I have lived, and die! I look around me, and, lo! on every visage a black veil!”

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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.

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Introduction In the novel “The Scarlet Letter”, Hester is constantly reminded of her sin and put down for it. The Puritans look down upon her because she has committed a sin. Thesis: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel “The Scarlet Letter” can be seen as criticism of the beliefs of puritans and how symbolism is used to show Hester’s sin and how she is defined. Body Paragraph 1 Topic Sentence: When the Puritans had found out that Hester had conceived a child with another man, the Puritans saw this as a sin that deserved punishment.

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B. The Scarlet Letter is a significant title because it emphasizes the main symbol of the novel. The scarlet letter, a golden “A” embroidered on red fabric, that Hester Prynne is forced to wear is a mark of her crime that starts the novel and is a reminder that burdens her every day. The event that the token embodies is the entire focus of the novel and separates the central characters from the rest of Hawthorne’s town. The Scarlet Letter, titles the book after the event that alters the character’s lives in an unimaginable way.

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The Story Behind the Veil “The Minister’s Black Veil” is arguably one of the most famous short stories in the history of American Literature. The author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, is an extremely well known writer who is recognized for his many works. From The Scarlet Letter to The House of the Seven Gables, Hawthorne’s exceptional literary skills are portrayed in each and every one of his stories.

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A Life Undone By A Letter Hester’s character and personality are heavily scrutinized in D.H. Lawrence’s “ On The Scarlet Letter.” Lawrence’s unarguable acceptance of Puritan norms causes him to disagree with Hester’s characterization. In addition to his condescending remarks of Hester, he criticizes Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writing and character development. D.H. Lawrence uses biblical allusion, brief syntax, and a cynical tone to support his argument that Hester is the responsible one in the crime of adultery.

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