In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, “The Minister’s Black Veil,” there is an apparent message sent throughout the text: Secret sin of any one person has the ability to eat away at him or her, causing an overwhelming sense of guilt that can control and overtake his or her life; but can also become a necessary evil and a positive good at the same time. The image of secret sin that captivates Parson Hooper isolates his relationships from his congregation, Elizabeth, and God. In “The Minster’s Black Veil,” Parson Hooper wears his black veil to represent his own private sin, in hopes of receiving some form of spiritual forgiveness.
Parson Hooper’s reason for covering his face with the veil is not disclosed in the story. There are many theories as to why,…