Symbolism In The Raven And The Minister's

What kind of stories can come from the dark minds of writers during the Dark Romantic Era? One’s similar to Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” and “The Black Cat” and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil” and “The Scarlet Letter.” In these short stories and poems, you find a lot of symbolism that was popular during this time. Symbolism is an artistic and poetic style using symbolic images and indirect suggestion to express spiritual ideas, emotions, and states of mind. In all stories and poems, the use of symbols are what make the story feel so real to the audience. A symbol as simple as a bird can mean so much more then what you see, whereas a symbol as complicated as the sea, can mean so much less then what you thought. It all depends

In “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Nathaniel Hawthorne used the black veil to cover Mr. Hooper’s face to symbolize his sorrows or secret sins. Hooper said, “I, perhaps, like most other mortals, have sorrows dark enough to be typified by a dark veil” (641). The black veil also becomes a symbol of Hooper's sin of excessive pride when he continues to wear it and gets caught up in thinking that he is morally superior because he is the one who conveys such a significant message. The greatest criticism of Hooper, leveled by those who see the veil as a symbol of pride, is that he is a bad shepherd to his flock because he neglects them as he becomes more and more preoccupied with his moral mission. Symbolically, the veil denies him meaningful and complete admission to God's presence in both Scripture and prayer and realizing that he can never be certain whether God has elected or damned him to hell, he taints a clear and uncomplicated view of worldly and spiritual things. The veil could also symbolize the lack of connection between religious leaders and those whom they lead. The funeral and wedding could also be considered symbols of life and death and life and the evil that resides in the human heart pervades even the most sacred