Comparing The Minister's Black Veil And The Bosom-Serpent

There are many different ways to convey a message. Some people convey a message in a blatant fashion, while others are more subtle about it. These two contrasting styles are shown in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s two short stories: The Minister’s Black Veil and Egotism; or, The Bosom-Serpent. Mr. Hooper and Roderick Elliston view sin in a similar fashion, however their differences lie in the way they tell people, which reveals Hawthorne’s message that there are multiple ways to effectively educate someone. In both stories, these characters both struggle with their own sin, and attempt to make others realize sin that is inside of them. When Mr. Hooper wears his black veil, he becomes, “a man of awful power over souls that were in agony for sin” (Hawthorne 20). Mr. Hooper’s black veil makes him appear as a man who has committed an awful sin. This makes other people feel like they have a connection to him, and can go so far as to recognize their own sin. Similarly, Roderick Elliston attempts to make people view the sin within themselves. Hawthorne states, “He grappled with the ugliest truth that he could lay his hand on, and compelled his adversary to do the same” (Hawthorne 278). Elliston has acknowledged the sin, or snake as he refers to it, inside of him, and is making everyone around him do the same thing. Due to the fact that Elliston is

Hooper and Elliston, his creation of their differences prove that there is more than one way to deliver an effective message. In order to have a lasting impact on someone, there can be more than one way to accomplish that. Both Mr. Hooper and Elliston convey the same message that sin resides in all people, however, they each convey it in their own way. Hawthorne shows us that there is not just one way to communicate effectively. Hawthorne uses the differences in how they bring this message to prove his own point about the way people can learn a