The Minister's Black Veil Supernatural Analysis

“The Minister’s Black Veil:” Emotional Supernatural Mystery of the veil

There are a couple different meanings of romanticism. "Movement in the arts and literature that originated in the late 18th century, emphasizing inspiration, subjectivity and the primacy of the individual" is the definition of the romanticism in literature.The Minister's Black Veil has characteristics that are unique to the Romantic period, particularly those which are directly connected with Gothic literature. Romanticism was said to be “the search for a world that is not”. Nathaniel Hawthorne expressed romanticism in the allegory “The Minister’s Black Veil” by using emotion, the supernatural and mystery. In this period of the romantic writers, such as Hawthorne emotion

The supernatural aspect further broadened the understanding of the black veil for the readers in this allegory. There is much about this story that qualifies as supernatural. First, the veil itself is a literal symbol of a supernatural capacity; it is a tangible object that represents something unapparent : the truth that humans are not only naturally sinful beings but that we all seek to hide the existence of our secret sins from one another. Mr. Hooper says to Elizabeth, “There is an hour to come when all of us shall cast aside our veils. Take it not amiss, beloved friend, if I wear this piece of crape till then.” (Hawthorne 10) He explains to her that the shade is a symbol and he will wear it forever. Second, the minister's belief that after his death it will no longer be necessary for him to wear the veil is a supernatural belief. We have no way to prove the existence of a life after death in the natural world; there is nothing that we can inquire or notify to as evidence of this eternal spiritual life. Therefore, it too is supernatural. Third, Mr. Hooper's belief that God can see even our most secret sins, though we'd prefer to forget that the Omniscient can detect them is a supernatural belief as well because, again, there is no objective evidence in the natural world that

Puritans hate mysteries and their imaginations go straight to the gothic and the forbidden. Many people contemplated the dark mystery of the veil upon themselves."He seemed not fully to partake of the prevailing wonder, till Mr. Hooper had ascended the stairs, and showed himself in the pulpit, face to face with his congregation, except for the black veil. That mysterious emblem was never once withdrawn."(Hawthorne 3) The townspeople were curious why he wore a veil while he was going down the stairs. Which made him mysterious to the people because they did not know what he had done to wear that "crape". It seems that they never truly understood or apologized for their actions, towards the end, it closes with the frightful thought that the minister’s face still lays behind the veil even when dead. Other insights believe the veil acted as a mirror, making the townspeople more apprehensive of their own sins. As well as, not judging another human being immediately for their mistakes and focusing on