'Symbolism In The Minister's Black Veil'

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“The Minister’s Black Veil” shows a dark side of society and their sins. The first time Mr. Cooper wears the black veil, his parishioners thinks it represents a sin or evil crime he has done. The townspeople assume because of his veil, he is an evil source that must be avoided. The suspicion of Mr. Cooper’s dark presence arises even more when he leans over a coffin, and the lady’s corpse shudders, and also when two mourners see Mr. Cooper and the dead maiden walking hand in hand. When Mr. Cooper is questioned by his fiance, it becomes apparent the black veil contains symbolic value to Mr. Cooper, and he will not remove it from his figure. "What grievous affliction hath befallen you," she earnestly inquired, "that you should thus darken your eyes forever?"
"If it be a sign of mourning," replied Mr. Hooper, "I, perhaps, like most other mortals, have sorrows dark enough to be typified by a black veil."
"But …show more content…
To the townspeople, the veil represents a grave sin that Mr. Hooper may have done. To Mr. Hooper the veil is a symbol for all the wrongdoings of the townspeople that they hide to themselves. It could be said, that these two interpretations go hand in hand, as they could be focusing on Mr. Hooper’s sinfulness because they recognize their own sins, but do not want to acknowledge it. The veil could also be a symbol of Puritan superficiality as Mr. Hooper’s behavior hasn’t changed, but the people view him as a completely different person. The darkness the townspeople see from Mr. Hooper is generated just from the black veil, and not Mr. Hooper himself. The veil can also represent Mr. Hooper’s pride. While he may hide his face to everyone, including his fiancee; he gains attention to himself by doing so essentially making himself more visible to the townspeople. In this thought, it could be said that Mr. Hooper views himself above his peers and arrogant in a
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