The Minister's Black Veil
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Apr 3, 2024
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Salena Kelly
ENGL 1302-61817
Professor Joseph Collier
10/10/2021
The Minister’s Black Veil Analysis
Mr. Hooper is the main character of The Minister’s Black Veil
by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story is surrounding Reverend Hooper and his decision to wear a black veil. The black veil ignites fear and judgment within the townspeople of Milford, causing Mr. Hooper to be constantly judged and ostracized by the townspeople. Mr. Hooper, however, holds strong against
the judgment and fear of the townspeople, standing strong in his decision to always wear the black veil. Mr. Hooper shows his morals by keeping his vow to remove the veil, choosing his job
over popularity, and staying committed to his job as a preacher until he died. The story begins on a Sunday morning as church is about to begin. Mr. Hooper makes his
way into the church, shocking people with a new piece of clothing: a black veil. Throughout the story, Mr. Hooper sticks to his vow to keep the black veil on. He tells Elizabeth that “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, 1836)
Mr. Hooper holds steady in morals by refusing to take off his black veil for anyone, nor ever feeling the need to fully explain the purpose for his veil, as that is his business. Mr. Hooper was an excellent clergyman, as evidenced
by the fact that even though the townspeople feared him and his veil, they never fired him from his position. Mr. Hooper also demonstrated a sense of morality by how he treats the townspeople
after he is seen wearing the veil. After the first sermon in the story, it says that Mr. Hooper “paid
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reverence to hoary heads, saluted the middle-age with kind dignity… greeted the young with mingled authority and love, and laid his hands on the little children’s heads to bless them.”
(Hawthorne, 1836)
. Mr. Hooper here shows no resentment or anger at the townspeople despite the fear and confusion the townspeople have. Robert Cochran, of the College English, best describes
Mr. Hooper’s morals by saying that Mr. Hooper “becomes more understanding of human frailty..”
(Cochran, 1962)
Mr. Hooper’s strength to follow through with his vow is remarkable. The townspeople judged him, ostracized him, and Mr. Hooper broke up with his fiancée all due to his decision to keep wearing his black veil. This decision of his led to a very lonely life for him. Mr. Hooper is first ostracized when “
Old Squire Saunders—doubtless by an accidental lapse of memory—
neglected to invite Mr. Hooper to his table, where the good clergyman had been wont to bless the
food almost every Sunday since his settlement.”
(Hawthorne, 1836)
. There was no accident, only that the townspeople no longer wanted to be associated with the reverend. This interaction, or lack thereof, is the first sign that shows how Mr. Hooper has now become the town pariah. Mr. Hooper’s vow to always wear the black veil can also be seen as a “dedication to God and devotion to duty” according to Robert Cochran (Cochran, 1962)
. Mr. Hooper’s vow to wear the black veil leads to many consequences, as previously mentioned. Mr. Hooper not only is ostracized by the townspeople, but he breaks off his engagement to Elizabeth, but he also becomes a very effective preacher. Mr. Hooper is isolated from not only sin, but the sin of the townspeople because of his choice to wear the black veil. Robert Cochran, of College English, explains that because he (Hooper) is wearing the veil, he “becomes a man apart, in that for him, the secret of sin lies in its mysterious depths…”
(Cochran, 1962)
. Mr. Hooper is more able to focus on preaching the word of God and helping the
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townspeople in time of spiritual need. Hawthorne writes that “…he became a man of awful power over souls that were in agony of sin.”
(Hawthorne, 1836)
. Cochran perfectly describes Hooper’s new effectiveness as a clergyman. He writes that “…Mr. Hooper does not fail them. At
the same time that the veil isolates Father Hooper from meaningful human relationships, then, it increases his communicative power as a minister.”
(Hawthorne, 1836)
. Mr. Hooper becomes promoted to Father Hooper, and his last consequence of wearing the black veil is that he dies on his own terms. Mr. Hoope
r is able to die “a veiled corpse”
(Hawthorne, 1836)
, with the veil still covering his face, as he has completed his vow, and because he has crossed over into eternity, he is no longer bound by his vow to wear the black veil. Mr. Hooper was a man of strong faith and strong will, allowing the townspeople to ridicule and ostracize him for his decision/vow to wear a black veil. Mr. Hooper made the ultimate sacrifice in his life by wearing the black veil. His fiancé broke up with him, and he lived
a long, lonely life, separated from the world. Mr. Hooper’s separation from the world led to powerful sermons from him and him evoking a strong sense of spirituality, which in turn led the townspeople to call upon him for prayer and guidance, especially in dark times or final hours. Mr. Hooper’s vow on Earth to be bound by the black veil, is finally broken when he dies and crosses over into eternity. His death marks his ultimate reward: his freedom from the black veil.
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Works Cited
Cochran, R. W. (1962). Hawthorne's Choice: The Veil or the Jaundiced Eye. College English
, 342-246.
Hawthorne, N. (1836). The Minister's Black Veil.