Sharon Goldman Sharon 1
Prof. P. Owens
English 1102
23 October 2014
Reverend Hooper and the Black Veil
The veil represents the emphasis on the reverend's personal reality, his thoughts and feelings that are not directly obvious. As Hawthorne explores the inner feelings of the minister, he finds pride, morality and darkness. When Reverend Hooper first walks out of his home wearing the veil, everyone is astonished. The sexton cries, "What has the good Parson Hooper have upon his face?"(324). No one understands why the minister would wear a veil for no reason at all. This is when all of the speculation begins. Everyone in the village has a story for why the veil is there. The people of the town are trying to convince themselves that the veil is hiding something, like a scare on the minister's face. Others think that Reverend Hooper is hiding something, like a secret that no one is supposed to know.
The black veil makes everyone feel uncomfortable in some way. Is the veil a problem because the people are afraid of the unknown of what it is hiding? For all one knows the veil is a symbol of the mistrust Mr. Hooper has in the people closest to him or maybe he is trying to show them a greater lesson.
That little black veil has such mysteriousness to it for the people. All of the people that know Mr. Hooper naturally assume that he has done something terribly wrong. That is why he is wearing the veil to cover up his shame. "Mr. Hooper has the reputation of a good preacher ⦠(325). This is why the people are speculating that it is he that has done wrong and not them. After seeing Mr. Hooper wearing the black veil on his face,