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Summary And Symbolism In The Minister's Black Veil

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Puritan Portrayal
A religious group of protestors originated in 16th century in England. They fled to the New World to receive their demands. They were known as the puritans and demanded the simplification of doctrine and worship with greater strictness in the discipline of religion. Their roles have been critically viewed by many and are of a typical interest for writers.
Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor depict their views of puritans through non-fictional writings. These writers portray the puritans as working leaders of the world. They also believe that the puritans success was due to their relationships with God. The puritans connected with God through praying and by reading his word. Bradstreet and Taylor believe that the puritans received …show more content…

He does this through the use of symbolism in “The Minister’s Black Veil.” The story is centered on the teachings of a local minister named Hooper in a small puritan town. This reverend was known for having a good reputation. He was even viewed to be self-discipline; a trait admired by his congregation. However, he begun to wear a black veil to show that his soul has been tormented. This act scared many people of his congregation and caused them to feel that their religious lives were in danger. The preacher explains in a sermon that he is doing this out of representation for the sins that we mask. Yet, the community feels that he has gone insane. Another reverend replied to Father Hooper by shouting, “Dark old man! With what horrible crime upon your soul are you now passing judgement?” (Hawthorne 638). They began to think of theories to detect what is wrong with the minister Many infer superstition. The congregational views of Reverend Hooper do not symbolize the views of the puritans. In this case, Hawthorne’s depiction of the puritans should be considered untrue and unfair. However, I think Hawthorne’s depictions can be fair, when interpreting the story’s symbolism in another way. Some of the congregation may believe Reverend Hooper’s preaching’s about the mask and some of them may have been immediately threatened; automatically assuming he is evil. They are either believing

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Many people of the community were afraid of Reverend Hooper and his black veil. “But from the...over his face” (Hawthorne 2-4). Although Hooper’s empirically observable behavior is uniformly kind and gentle, he remains unloved and dimly feared. Later on, the community realized that the veil was not a symbol of evil and decided the effects were not all that bad.

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