The Theme in The Minister’s Black Veil Essay - 2601 Words

The Theme in â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† Morse Peckham in â€Å"The Development of Hawthorne’s Romanticism† explains what he interprets Hawthorne’s main theme to be in his short stories: This technique, though Hawthorne’s is different from that of European writers, creates analogies between self and not-self, between personality and the worlds. . . .Henceforth Hawthorne’s theme is the redemption of the self through the acceptance and exploitation of what society terms the guilt of the individual but which to the Romantic is society’s guilt (92). The interplay between the guilt of the individual, Reverend Mr. Hooper, and society’s guilt, underlies all of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Minister’s Black†¦show more content†¦. . . it puts one outside the ‘magic circle’ or the ‘magnetic chain’ of humanity, where there is neither love nor reality (54). The theme arises from the central conflict in the tale, which is an internal one, a spiritual-moral conflict within the minister, the Reverend Mr. Hooper. â€Å"Everything he has to say is related, finally, to ‘that inward sphere’† (McPherson 68-69). The minister’s absorption into the problems of his â€Å"inner sphere† cause the draping of the crape veil and the resultant alienation from people. At the outset of the tale, â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil,† the sexton is tolling the church bell and simultaneously watching Mr. Hooper’s door, when suddenly he says, ``But what has good Parson Hooper got upon his face? The surprise which the sexton displayed is repeated in the astonishment of the onlookers: â€Å"With one accord they started, expressing more wonder. . .† The reason is this: â€Å"Swathed about his forehead, and hanging down over his face, so low as to be shaken by his breath† is a black veil. The 30 year old, unmarried parson receives a variety of reactions from his congregation, all of which imply the alienation that is in the mind of the speaker or doer: ``I cant really feel as if good Mr. Hoopers face was behind that piece of crape ``He has changed himself into something awful, only byShow MoreRelatedTheme Of The Ministers Black Veil1080 Words   |  5 PagesAnalysis of Symbolism in â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† Each individual has to make the choice to either dwell on their sin, or let go of their sins. Some people can let it go and move on, but some try to hide from their sin. Some even hide from the sins of others. In his short story â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil,† Nathaniel Hawthorne creates an eerie tale about the veiled minister of Milford Village. The main character, Mr. Hooper starts wearing a veil to his sermons. The whole town is skepticalRead More The Theme of Hawthorne’s The Ministers Black Veil Essay2353 Words   |  10 Pagesâ€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† – The Theme  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s tale, â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil,† the dominanat theme is obviously one man’s alienation from society. This essay intends to explore, exemplify and develop this topic.    Hyatt Waggoner in â€Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne† states:    Alienation is perhaps the theme he handles with greatest power. â€Å"Insulation,† he sometimes called it – which suggests not only isolation but imperviousness. It is the opposite ofRead MoreTheme Of Guilt In The Ministers Black Veil1065 Words   |  5 Pagesthemselves, but when ignored, sin is still manifested in those within; in order to fully make progress in one’s character, sin has yet to be recognized.In the parable â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil,† Nathaniel Hawthorne initially illustrates a town full of â€Å"good people,† but then contradicts this idea, proving, through a black veil, that all people live with concealed and ashamed pasts. This can be parallelled to the Theories of Guilt that discuss how humans are controlled by their shameful pasts. AsRead MoreTheme of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Parable the â€Å"Minister’s Black Veil†569 Words   |  3 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne’s parable the â€Å"Ministerà ¢â‚¬â„¢s Black Veil† his theme of the story is that nobody can escape a sin. An analysis on the surface of the story is one day Mr. Hooper minister of a congregation in Milford, MA, a small settlement of puritans, working hard just to sustain life. When the sexton tolls the bell Mr. Hooper comes out as usual but wearing a black veil. In my opinion this shows that Mr. Hooper is showing that he committed a sin and he wear the black veil as a way to say everyone wearsRead MoreMain Themes of Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter and The Ministers Black Veil769 Words   |  4 PagesMain Themes of Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter and The Ministers Black Veil Nathaniel Hawthorne’s works often have parallel themes and similar characters. His approach is quite gloomy and the atmosphere for his stories is many times sad and depressing. Hawthorne concentrates his novel and short stories around the Puritan community, which adds to the tense and unforgiving atmosphere. One of his most renowned novels, The Scarlet Letter and his short story, The Minister’s Black Veil containRead MoreThe Fall Of The House Of Usher1651 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil,† and William Cullen Bryant’s â€Å"Thanatopsis† illustrate several Romantic and Transcendentalist (and anti-Transcendentalist) traits. All of these authors are regarded as very important and influential Romantic writers. Their works are renowned all across the entire world. â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† is a Gothic short story written by Edgar Allen Poe, which focuses on exploring the psychology of the primary character, R oderick. Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† isRead MoreCritiques of the Puritan Norms by Nathaniel Hawthorne in Young Goodman Brown982 Words   |  4 Pagesinstitutions that other people found sacred, and beyond that, he hoped to challenge perceptions of what it meant to live a normal life during that time. One of the primary themes of Puritanism is the concept of original sin, and Hawthorne seemed to have a preoccupation with this concept. In â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† and â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil,† Hawthorne uses different characters and different scenes to make important statements on the nature of Puritan life. Specifically, the two works are linked from aRead MoreLiterary Analysis : The Minister s Black Veil 1224 Words   |  5 Pages1302 September 21, 2015 Hawthorne, Nathaniel â€Å"the Minister’s Black Veil† Literary Analysis The minister is acquiring attention to actions of the town people to keep secret his guilty and sinful ways. The reader, while reading the short story, can conclude that the narrator is in third-person to reveal the character’s thoughts. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses lots of symbolism and figure of speech to clarify the ministers reasoning for the black veil over his face. The first figure of speech involvesRead MoreHawthorne’s Use of Allegory1545 Words   |  7 PagesThe Ministers Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a short story that was first published in the 1836 edition of the Token and Atlantic Souvenir and reappeared over time in Twice-Told Tales, a collection of short stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The short story narrates the events that follow Reverend Mr. Hoopers decision to start wearing a black veil that obscures his full face, except for his mouth and chin. Mr. Hooper simply arrives one day at the meeting house wearing the semi-transparentRead MoreHawthorne’s Use of Allegory1212 Words   |  5 PagesHawthorne’s Use of Allegory The Ministers Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a short story that was first published in the 1836 edition of the Token and Atlantic Souvenir and reappeared over time in Twice-Told Tales, a collection of short stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The short story narrates the events following Reverend Mr. Hoopers decision to begin wearing a black veil that obscures his full face, except for his mouth and chin. Mr. Hooper simply arrives one day at the meeting house wearing