The Minister's Black Veil Essay

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“We cannot forever hide the truth about ourselves, from ourselves” (John McCain). In “The Minister’s Black Veil,” the author implies that all of mankind has secret sins even though some pretend to have no regrets or wrongdoings. Mr. Hooper, a well-known and respected minister, decides to wear a black veil that causes discomfort to those around him. The small article of clothing forces bystanders to confront their own wrongdoings and causes Mr. Hooper to be outcasted from society. After living a lonely life, the minister lectures onlookers about shunning him for his sins while they have their own. The author writes about Mr. Hooper’s story to spread awareness regarding man’s hidden sins and to show that man is much like the minister and his …show more content…
Hooper constantly wears a sad smile that represents the consequences of having sins. His smile never completely disappears and always seems to be a melancholy one, even in times of happiness. In the story “The Minister’s Black Veil,” the phrase, “a sad smile gleamed faintly from beneath the black veil and flickered about his mouth…” is mentioned often, most of the time varying in word choice (Hawthorne par. 13). Since the veil represents human sin, the constant smile symbolizes the repercussions that go along with it. This is especially true seeing as both the veil and the smile are frequently talked about together. Laurie Sterling discusses this in her article “The Minister’s Black Veil” when she says, “In addition to his black veil, Hooper is associated with his smile... Like the black veil, it seems to represent Hooper himself” (5). This shows that Mr. Hooper is always connected to both his veil and smile, further implying that they go hand in hand. It also points out that the smile represents him as a whole, which signifies the obstacles he encounters as a result of having exposed sins. The black veil, representing concealed sins, is associated most often with Hooper’s smile, suggesting that the smile represents the effects of having wrongdoings. Hawthorne also shows this symbolism by displaying the impact of the veil and smile on certain
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