1、The Symbolic Meaning of the Ministers Black VeilIn The Ministers Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne, we were introduced a peaceful small puritan town Milford, which was interrupted by the appearance of Mr. Hooper, who was the minister in the town, Everyone was frightened by him because he suddenly wo
2、re a black veil that hung from his forehead and covered his eyes and nose. We can find the black veil all through the novel until the ministers death. There are three symbolic meaning of this mysterious black veil: the general secret sins that hidden in everyones heart, the specific sin that kept in
3、 the ministers mind, and also the way of self-salvation. First, the black veil symbolizes the general secret sins that hidden in everyones heart. While Mr. Hooper walked onward with the gloomy shade before him, his greeting hardly met with a return. “Each member of the congregation felt as if the pr
4、eacher had crept upon them, behind his awful veil, and discovered their hoarded iniquity of deed or thought”. We can see that people dare not see Mr. Hooper because his black veil made them very uncomfortable. Actually, the black veil is not that terrifying. People were frightened just because they
5、were afraid that their secret sins could be found by the ministers eyes that hidden behind the black veil. Before the ministers death, he shouted: “I look around me, and, lo! On every visage a Black Veil.” Mr. Hooper believed that everyone should wear a black veil to admit their sins. He was very bo
6、ld to admit his own sin, however, most people didnt like to admit theirs.Second, the black veil symbolizes one specific sin that hidden in the ministers heart. On the funeral of a young lady, when the minister was doing his service, “at the instant when the clergymans features were disclosed, the co
7、rpse had slightly shuddered, rustling the shroud and muslin cap” and “Mr. Hoopers eyes were so weakened by the midnight lamp”. Also, there is a quote in the novel that “I had a fancy that the minister and the maidens spirit were walking hand in hand.” Through these scenes, we could infer that there
8、might be some original sexual relationship between the minister and the virgin, which might finally led to the young ladys death and the ministers wearing a black veil. Third, the black veil symbolizes the way of self-salvation. The time Mr. Hooper wore his black veil, he separated himself from othe
9、rs. Everyone was frightened by his veil and kept far away from him, even his fiance. When Elizabeth came to him and asked him to take off the veil. He didnt listen to her and said “so far as my vow may suffer me. Know, then, this veil is a type and a symbol, and I am bound to wear it ever, both in l
10、ight and darkness, in solitude. This dismal shade must separate me from the world, even you, can never come behind it!” The minister indulged himself in his sin and wore the black veil for life. He tortured himself to live in loneliness because of his former mistake.All in all, the black veil symbolizes the sin in peoples heart and the way of self-salvation for the minister. Also, the belief of this black veil finally destroyed the minister.
