Similarities Between The Scarlet Letter And The Minister's Black Veil

The sermon, sinners in the hands of an angry god by Jonathan Edwards and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s two stories, The Scarlet Letter and The Minister's black veil all explore and revolve around how human nature ties in with sin. They took place in the seventeenth to nineteenth century, back when the puritan migration to New England took place. These three pieces of literature are largely based around the Puritan way of life and theological principle: that humanity is inherently evil, meaning human nature is inclined to commit wrongdoing. Sin is defined as an act that is regarded by theologians as a transgression of God’s will. However, all the sins represent human characteristics and qualities, therefore it is inevitable for a person to commit sin. …show more content…
Throughout the story, the main character Reverend Hooper wears a black veil in order to to hide his face from the gaze of others and from himself. Hooper concealing his face proves the fact that everybody else in his community puts on a facade of righteousness and innocence in order to hide their sinful nature. The veil at a glance is a symbol for the sins that mankind hides within. It is not always representative of Hooper's own sin but those sins many others have committed. By overtly wearing a visible black veil, Reverend Hooper discloses to his parishioners that he is not disclosing to them his particular sins. But doing this, he does confess the abstract fact that he is sinful in nature. As to why Rev. Hooper decided to conceal his face with the black veil remains unknown throughout the story. The ambiguity of the veil causes doubt and frustration amongst the characters, disturbing the congregation. The people who look at the veil do not know if the minister is hiding something revealing in his eyes, or if he is shielding his eyes in order to scrutinize them. The people of Mr. Hooper's congregation wonder if Mr. Hooper, like Jonathan Edwards in "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" tries to strike fear in their hearts by suggesting that he is aware of their sins by wearing the veil. While speculating as to what horrific crime the minister must have committed, they overlook their own crimes, both large and small. Mr hooper wearing the veil also symbolizes his mourning for the sins of many of the puritans in his community that fear god and the severe punishments for transgressions. The puritans live as hypocrites and this becomes apparent in the denouement of Hawthorne's short story. Reverend hooper refuses to remove the