2. Hawthorne's use of light/dark imagery stands out the most about the imagery with the scene in the beginning of the short story. In the beginning of the short story, Hawthrone describes a common Transcendentalist scene -- God's people with bright faces on their way to church. However, the scene soons turns into a mood of gloom when Parson Hooper walks in with a black veil covering his face. Also, Hooper brings a sense of happiness to events you'd think to be pleasant such as church service (at which he starts to talk about guilt and secret sins) and a wedding (in which Parson Hooper spills wine and leave abruptly.) Hawthrone provides these scenes that contrast light and darkness in order to differentiate Transcendentalism and Dark Romanticism.
3. "And thus speaking, the Reverend Mr. Clark bent forward to reveal the mystery of so many years. But, exerting a sudden energy, that made all the beholders stand aghast, Father Hooper snatched both his hands from beneath the bedclothes, and pressed them strongly on the black veil, resolute to struggle, if the minister of Westbury would contend with a dying man." -- Prior to this, Reverend Clark tries to persuade Parson Hooper to remove his black veil so that he can die a holy man. As a reader, you question whether or not Hooper will reveal his face and what he is hiding with the veil before his death to give explanation about what the veil is about but he utterly refuses to remove it.
4. The significance of the scene with Hooper leaning into the casket of the dead girl is
that Parson Hooper had committed the offense of adultery with the girl whose funeral he attended, and this was the reason that he could not tell his wife what his crime was. The details that supports this assumption is the girl's body shudders when Hooper leans into the casket; to have a dead body shiver is almost like a way of saying that Hooper's "secret sin" as a holy man is so sinful that it even makes the dead shake.
5. The wedding gives off a melancholy effect, rather than an aura of joy you'd expect from a wedding. The wedding is full of bad auguries: the bride's fingers grow cold, some believe that the recently buried woman has returned to be married, and when Parson Hooper prepares to toast the couple he sees his image in a mirror, becomes frightened, spills his wine on the floor, and leaves abruptly. As a reader, Hawthrone implies this juxtaposition to provide a contrast to the Transcendentalist merriment of that era.
6. Hawthrone uses the device of rhetorical questions in his short story. For example, when Parson Hooper says: "Tremble also at each other! Have men avoided me, and women shown no pity, and children screamed and fled, only for my black veil?" To emphasize his treatment due to the veil, Hooper uses a rhetorical question. Because of the black veil, tensions arose the minister and the community. This rhetorical question also emphasizes the cause of the community's fear. Without knowing Parson Hooper's motivations, the community assumes the veil is a sign of moral defect. The mystery behind the veil causes much apprehension and fear among the people.
7. The Minister's Black Veil uses Dark Romanticism to portray these evil sides of mankind. Hawthorne strived to teach in his writing, often spelling out the morals of his story quite transparently. The Parson Hooper makes sure the readers do not miss the point of the story when he announces that all men wear a symbolic black veil. Due to the of the language and mood of the story, Hawthorne exerts a sort of eerie and gloomy tone throughout the story, and this is one of the major characteristics of Dark Romanticism. In addition to the writing of the story, the main symbol, the black veil, radiates a dark and almost sinful mood. This the opposite of Transcendentalism as Dark Romanticism focuses on human sin and guilt and is also pessimistic.
8. As a reader, I believe Parson Hooper's sin is that he had an affair with another female. Because Hooper had a sermon about secret sins, his act of adultery with another woman was his "secret sin". The veil symbolizes the sins mankind hides from others. The reason behind my theory that Hooper slept with another woman is the other themes of love in the story - the wedding and the intimate moment Hooper had with the young girl in the coffin. Due to his shame and guilt, Hooper wears a black veils because he realizes although he hold the position of a holy man, he too is sinful and hides dark secrets; this prevents him from being able to disclose his sin to his fiancee and to hide his shame from the church and clergy.
3. "And thus speaking, the Reverend Mr. Clark bent forward to reveal the mystery of so many years. But, exerting a sudden energy, that made all the beholders stand aghast, Father Hooper snatched both his hands from beneath the bedclothes, and pressed them strongly on the black veil, resolute to struggle, if the minister of Westbury would contend with a dying man." -- Prior to this, Reverend Clark tries to persuade Parson Hooper to remove his black veil so that he can die a holy man. As a reader, you question whether or not Hooper will reveal his face and what he is hiding with the veil before his death to give explanation about what the veil is about but he utterly refuses to remove it.
4. The significance of the scene with Hooper leaning into the casket of the dead girl is
that Parson Hooper had committed the offense of adultery with the girl whose funeral he attended, and this was the reason that he could not tell his wife what his crime was. The details that supports this assumption is the girl's body shudders when Hooper leans into the casket; to have a dead body shiver is almost like a way of saying that Hooper's "secret sin" as a holy man is so sinful that it even makes the dead shake.
5. The wedding gives off a melancholy effect, rather than an aura of joy you'd expect from a wedding. The wedding is full of bad auguries: the bride's fingers grow cold, some believe that the recently buried woman has returned to be married, and when Parson Hooper prepares to toast the couple he sees his image in a mirror, becomes frightened, spills his wine on the floor, and leaves abruptly. As a reader, Hawthrone implies this juxtaposition to provide a contrast to the Transcendentalist merriment of that era.
6. Hawthrone uses the device of rhetorical questions in his short story. For example, when Parson Hooper says: "Tremble also at each other! Have men avoided me, and women shown no pity, and children screamed and fled, only for my black veil?" To emphasize his treatment due to the veil, Hooper uses a rhetorical question. Because of the black veil, tensions arose the minister and the community. This rhetorical question also emphasizes the cause of the community's fear. Without knowing Parson Hooper's motivations, the community assumes the veil is a sign of moral defect. The mystery behind the veil causes much apprehension and fear among the people.
7. The Minister's Black Veil uses Dark Romanticism to portray these evil sides of mankind. Hawthorne strived to teach in his writing, often spelling out the morals of his story quite transparently. The Parson Hooper makes sure the readers do not miss the point of the story when he announces that all men wear a symbolic black veil. Due to the of the language and mood of the story, Hawthorne exerts a sort of eerie and gloomy tone throughout the story, and this is one of the major characteristics of Dark Romanticism. In addition to the writing of the story, the main symbol, the black veil, radiates a dark and almost sinful mood. This the opposite of Transcendentalism as Dark Romanticism focuses on human sin and guilt and is also pessimistic.
8. As a reader, I believe Parson Hooper's sin is that he had an affair with another female. Because Hooper had a sermon about secret sins, his act of adultery with another woman was his "secret sin". The veil symbolizes the sins mankind hides from others. The reason behind my theory that Hooper slept with another woman is the other themes of love in the story - the wedding and the intimate moment Hooper had with the young girl in the coffin. Due to his shame and guilt, Hooper wears a black veils because he realizes although he hold the position of a holy man, he too is sinful and hides dark secrets; this prevents him from being able to disclose his sin to his fiancee and to hide his shame from the church and clergy.