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What Are The Symbols In The Minister's Black Veil

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Symbolism Essay Many short stories convey a very strong message through the use of literary techniques. These techniques can range from the use of allegorical ideas to the use of symbolism to get across the interconnected message that is associated with the story. “The Minister’s Black Veil”, a very powerful allegory, portrays strong symbols like the mirror, pale-faced congregation, and veil that move the story along while getting the interconnected message across. These symbols in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s romantic story all represent more than one idea that relates to the theme or message of this short story, about individual sin. A mirror provides a reflection of light, but in this story a reflection means much more. Every time the minister realizes the influence of the veil, he instantly rethinks his decision and shudders at what he has turned into. The mirror in this story represents realization and truth about what the minister has become as a result of the veil. When the minister wears the veil throughout the day, a mirror would show him the image of himself from other people’s point of view. He seems to dislike himself for his decision to wear the veil, but takes the burden. While dealing with this burden he never attempts to see himself in this state for he is ashamed and scared. “In truth, his own antipathy to the veil was known to be so great, that he never willingly passed before a mirror…affrighted by himself” (Hawthorne). The mirror in this story provides not only grim …show more content…

These symbols make the readers look father than just the surface of these objects to fully understand the message the author is trying to get across. Symbolism helps this piece deliver a specific powerful message about the sins of everyone by using random objects or groups that represent a lot

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“He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face” “A person who watched the interview between the dead and living scrupled not to affirm that, at the instant when the clergyman's features were disclosed [as he leaned over her and the veil moved] the corpse had slightly shuddered, rustling the shroud” The tone of the story minister’s black veil has a mysterious feeling. As description describes, "When Mr. Hooper came, the first thing that their eyes rested on was the same horrible black veil, which had added deeper gloom to the funeral, and could portend nothing but evil to the wedding. Such was its immediate effect on the guests that a

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The people were frightened because the veil made them look at the minister in a dark way wondering what secrets he might be hiding behind the veil. The Minister was trying to get the people to look at there own secret sins for one reason. He wanted the people to seek forgiveness for these sins. He wanted them to remove there own personal veil and realize the

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754 Words | 4 Pages

In Hawthorne’s short story, the minister walks out of the rectory one morning with a black veil covering his face. In this story, it is heavily debated what that black veil actually symbolizes. Could it be a symbol of sin and guilt, or is it rather a barrier between the minister and the rest of society? The story takes place in winter at Milford, Connecticut, where it focuses on Parson Hooper, the town’s minister.

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Which allows me to signify that another theme that this story hides is sorrow, there’s a lot of sadness and grief throughout the story. “Have patience with me, Elizabeth!” “ Do not desert me, though this veil must be between us here on earth” (242). “The black veil separated him from cheerful brotherhood and woman’s love.” Hence, one of the major themes of “The Minister’s Black Veil” is that those who acknowledge the secrets of their hearts and those who choose to stand apart from their fellows will often find that they are ostracized and may well lead lives of loneliness, prisoners in their own hearts”( Reed 3 ).

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The veil represents the ministers sin and the townspeople judge him for being so open with it. They begin acting differently around the pastor and treat him differently because of the veil. In the pastor’s sermon he talks about secret sin and how every sinner in their own right, which makes the clergy

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The Minister Black Veil Mr. Hooper put on the black veil, which changed his life until death. Although, the town knew him before the veil, their feeling changed drastically after the veil. It is human nature to judge one’s feelings by someone’s facial expressions and body language. Mr. Hooper was trying thorough symbolism to show that everyone has something to cover up. In the end, Mr. Hooper life was lonely and sacrificed, by choosing to wear the veil.

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In contrast, “The Minister’s Black Veil,” incorporates a narrative style, with the theme that one cannot hide from their own sins. Hawthorne writes, “There is an hour to come when all of us shall cast aside our veils.” The veil symbolizes sin, so the quote explains that one lives with their sins until death. This is a key line that ties the story’s theme

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Poems like "The Raven" serve as great references to find emotions that the author may have not been able to express as intensely if it was not for symbolism. Symbolism is more popularly used to portray more harsh, or intense feelings. In "The Minister's Black Veil" the minister's feelings of guilt and sinfulness are expressed through the dark and mysterious veil ("SchoolWorkHelper"). Nathaniel Hawthorne put the wedding and funeral in the story to symbolize the circle of life and death (Lorcher). Continuing with the idea of symbolism in the wedding and funeral, the minister and his black veil creates a sense of evil at both events and reminds the reader that evil presences can be anywhere (Lorcher).

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(Hawthorne, 5) The minister says this to show that the veil represents the secret sin that one will carry with them while on earth. Despite the fact that they have different ideas , both authors are able to reveal a greater meaning through

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In article two it states; "Mr. Hooper wears the veil to symbolize his mourning for the secret sins of many of the Puritans who fear the severe punishments for transgressions and live as hypocrites becomes apparent in the denouement of Hawthorne's story" clearly stating that he wears this black veil to symbolize the sins of the puritans rather than himself. Mr. Hooper wishes to teach a moral

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In "The Ministers Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne "The reason that it is difficult for the congregation and even his fiancée to look upon him is that they only see the veil. " The minister is hiding his face because he is afraid that what he is hiding will show to the people of the church and his fiancée. Mr. Hooper is wearing the veil because he committed a sin; and is hiding it from the town and his church First of all, Mr. Hooper is hiding behind the veil to ensconce his sins is because it is bigger than all the other sins everyone else has admitted. The article said that it could be him hiding a inclination he is having for a female.

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The themes that are portrayed by the veil reveals, the tension between the minister and the community. Every person has something to hide from the world, the veil is symbolic for the cover up of the people’s secrets. Although most people would not wear a veil to hide their secrets from others, the minister is proving a point. By wearing a simple black veil Mr. Hooper is making all the villagers evaluate their everyday actions closely. The symbolic value of the black veil creates a dilemma that it between the minister and his environment, and the guilt that the veil also conveys.

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What can you expect from a minister from changing persona where people use to see him as a “gentlemanly men, of about thirty, though still a bachelor, was dressed with due clerical neatness.” Then have a change in his appearance where it drastically changes his life. By a piece of cloth over his head accounts reactions of the congregation to it, the veil, a black veil that changed the image and the reactions of the people from Westbury. It is just a man, Mr.Hooper, who Hawthorne is modulating between dramatic incidents involving the black veil and Mr.Hooper approaches dramatic reactions towards it, in the short story the “Minister’s Black Veil”. The key symbol of the short story is the black veil it represented the spiritual isolation between

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"The Minister's Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a parable written to ponder the mind of the reader and to make them realize many aspects of life. A parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. This early American Romanticism story is about a Minister named Parson Hooper who, wore a black veil on his face, covering it entirely. He lived in a small little village, where he was the Minister and soon he started to wear a black veil for the multiple reasons but the most important reason is articulated several times in the parable. American Romanticism is an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement.

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In his short story, “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Nathaniel Hawthorne uses irony, symbolism, and stereotypical Puritan beliefs and behavior to expose humanity’s hypocrisy in an effort to create change. Irony is an extremely important literary element that Hawthorne uses in “The Minister’s Black Veil.” Throughout the story, many different examples of irony are evident. First off, the

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