Is a black veil closer to an angel, or a devil? In The Minister’s Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the character Reverend Hooper dons a black veil, much to the horror of the community he resides in. Hawthorne left Hooper’s, and his own, intentions for doing this ambiguous; Many interpreters have argued whether Hooper was meant to be a paragon of virtue or an Antichrist figure. Going off archetypes such as religion, death, and symbolism (with the veil being a prominent symbol), and Hawthorne’s own experiences, it can be said that Hooper is a deeply religious man trying to do God’s work. Like Hooper, Moses also donned a veil to hide his face, as after seeing God his face gleamed so intensely, it frightened his fellow Israelites.
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In their conversation, he cites wearing the veil to be his higher purpose in life and cryptically mentions that all will be revealed in the afterlife, “Do not desert me, though this veil must be between us here on earth. Be mine, and hereafter there shall be no veil over my face, no darkness between our souls! It is but a mortal veil - it is not for eternity!” (Hawthorne 9). This is similar to Jesus himself in that he made a lot of enemies by undertaking a mission that no one could understand whilst promising that death would provide relief. Also much like Jesus, the only people who can sympathize with Hooper are those undertaking the same burden as him, as Hooper can only connect with those he feels are also behind the black veil with him. Hooper lives out the remainder of his life doing good deeds and is later joined at his death bed by peers and his former fiancé, Elizabeth, who urges him once again to cast away his veil. Hooper reaffirms his mission once more and dies with his veil on, showing how dedicated he is to …show more content…
It may have stemmed from Hawthorne’s Transcendentalist values, being friends with Henry David Thoreau. Transcendentalists believe in institution and the veil may be a means at emphasizing such a belief. Also, Hawthorne was a loner - being unable to intermingle in any specific community. The veil isolating Hooper from the rest of his community may have very well been intentional to have Hooper resemble Hawthorne (Magill 1005). Hawthorne likely got the inspiration for Hooper and his veil from the real-life story of Joseph M. Moody, who wore a hood to repent his accidental killing of his friend. Whilst the act of donning a veil like Moody might suggest that Hawthorne is an unsavory character like those who would label him as an Antichrist would say, Judy McCarthy thinks otherwise, “‘In Moody’s case, however, the symbol had a different import,’” (McCarthy 132). Elizabeth also observes that the meaning behind the veil is one of “‘... innocent sorrow…’”, in response to Hooper’s claims that the veil was for a purpose much like Moody, “‘...a sign of mourning…’” (Hawthorne 8). Elizabeth and Hooper’s exchange in this part of the story suggests that Hooper’s veil be a symbol of mourning could not be understood by any besides Hooper himself, this coincides with Hawthorne’s transcendentalist values. This connects Hooper to Jesus Christ, whose symbol, the cross, is a testament to his sacrifice to
In their conversation, he cites wearing the veil to be his higher purpose in life and cryptically mentions that all will be revealed in the afterlife, “Do not desert me, though this veil must be between us here on earth. Be mine, and hereafter there shall be no veil over my face, no darkness between our souls! It is but a mortal veil - it is not for eternity!” (Hawthorne 9). This is similar to Jesus himself in that he made a lot of enemies by undertaking a mission that no one could understand whilst promising that death would provide relief. Also much like Jesus, the only people who can sympathize with Hooper are those undertaking the same burden as him, as Hooper can only connect with those he feels are also behind the black veil with him. Hooper lives out the remainder of his life doing good deeds and is later joined at his death bed by peers and his former fiancé, Elizabeth, who urges him once again to cast away his veil. Hooper reaffirms his mission once more and dies with his veil on, showing how dedicated he is to …show more content…
It may have stemmed from Hawthorne’s Transcendentalist values, being friends with Henry David Thoreau. Transcendentalists believe in institution and the veil may be a means at emphasizing such a belief. Also, Hawthorne was a loner - being unable to intermingle in any specific community. The veil isolating Hooper from the rest of his community may have very well been intentional to have Hooper resemble Hawthorne (Magill 1005). Hawthorne likely got the inspiration for Hooper and his veil from the real-life story of Joseph M. Moody, who wore a hood to repent his accidental killing of his friend. Whilst the act of donning a veil like Moody might suggest that Hawthorne is an unsavory character like those who would label him as an Antichrist would say, Judy McCarthy thinks otherwise, “‘In Moody’s case, however, the symbol had a different import,’” (McCarthy 132). Elizabeth also observes that the meaning behind the veil is one of “‘... innocent sorrow…’”, in response to Hooper’s claims that the veil was for a purpose much like Moody, “‘...a sign of mourning…’” (Hawthorne 8). Elizabeth and Hooper’s exchange in this part of the story suggests that Hooper’s veil be a symbol of mourning could not be understood by any besides Hooper himself, this coincides with Hawthorne’s transcendentalist values. This connects Hooper to Jesus Christ, whose symbol, the cross, is a testament to his sacrifice to