The Minister's Black Veil

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The sexton stood in the porch of Milford meeting-house pulling lustily at the bell-rope. The old people of the village came stooping along the street. Children with bright faces tripped merrily beside their parents or mimicked a graver gait in the conscious dignity of their Sunday clothes. Spruce bachelors looked sidelong at the pretty maidens, and fancied that the Sabbath sunshine made them prettier than on week-days. When the throng had mostly streamed into the porch, the sexton began to toll the bell, keeping his eye on the Reverend Mr. Hooper's door. The first glimpse of the clergyman's figure was the signal for the bell to cease its summons.

Genres: Short Stories, Classics, Fiction, Horror, Gothic, School, Historical Fiction

28 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1836

About the author

Nathaniel Hawthorne was a 19th century American novelist and short story writer. He is seen as a key figure in the development of American literature for his tales of the nation's colonial history.

Shortly after graduating from Bowdoin College, Hathorne changed his name to Hawthorne. Hawthorne anonymously published his first work, a novel titled Fanshawe, in 1828. In 1837, he published Twice-Told Tales and became engaged to painter and illustrator Sophia Peabody the next year. He worked at a Custom House and joined a Transcendentalist Utopian community, before marrying Peabody in 1842. The couple moved to The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, later moving to Salem, the Berkshires, then to The Wayside in Concord. The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850, followed by a succession of other novels. A political appointment took Hawthorne and family to Europe before returning to The Wayside in 1860. Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864, leaving behind his wife and their three children.

Much of Hawthorne's writing centers around New England and many feature moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His work is considered part of the Romantic movement and includes novels, short stories, and a biography of his friend, the United States President Franklin Pierce.

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Reverend Hooper takes to wearing a black veil across his face, something which horrifies and frightens his parishioners, and has them questioning the reason behind it. He vows that no one will lay eyes on his face ever again, not on this earth. Even his lover Elizabeth isn’t allowed to look upon his face, and not surprisingly she won’t have anything further to do with him, especially as he won’t even tell her why he’s taken to wearing the black veil.
The reader is left to draw their own conclusions, and it’s certainly left me pondering as to what it signifies!

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

First published in The Token and Atlantic Souvenir (1836), "The Minister's Black Veil" is not only Hawthorne's first great short story but also his first representative masterpiece. It is a moral parable of sin and guilt embodied in a realistic 18th Century Puritan setting. The central conception of the tale is bizarre, with more than a hint of the gothic, yet the reader does not doubt that these New Englanders are real, that their moral struggles are as urgent as his own.

The story is simple: Reverend Hooper arrives for Sunday services one day wearing a black veil across his face, and from that day on until the day he dies he is never seen without that veil. Although the members of his congregation recoil or shun him, speculating about what ghastly personal sin has led him to walk thus among them, they come to realize that his veil is a sign of their own sinful natures. Hooper refuses to remove the veil, depriving himself of earthly love and enduring an ever more painful isolation. Is he a Christ symbol? A saint and a prophet? Merely a melancholy narcissist? Hawthorne narrator refuses to take sides, and the result is an ambiguous, resonant tale that belies its obvious imagery.

The Scarlet Letter is foreshadowed here: the Reverend Hooper is Dimmesdale's extrovert older brother. The later work, the novel, is richer and more complicated, but The Minister's Black Veil--particularly for its length--is filled with a depth and richness all its own.

(Now the "truth is stranger than fiction" part. The bizarre detail upon which the story is based may have been taken from real life. Joseph Moody, a pastor of York, Maine, wore a black silk hanky over his face for years. Three reasons have been suggested for his behavior: 1) he hated preaching (a profession father forced him into), 2) his true love rejected his marriage proposal, and 3) he was consumed with guilt over the killing of his best friend in a hunting accident. Whatever the truth, he received little respect from the home folks: the Mainers called him "Handkerchief Moody.")

[Fergus, Weaver of Autistic Webs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story left me dumbfounded at first, years ago. Now, it’s just a BEAUTIFUL SYMBOL OF A HIGHER TRUTH.

It may be that to you TOO.

Get THIS...

“Hey, WHY the sudden change in our Pastor?

 “WHY is he suddenly an Alien in our Midst?

“Is he sick? Has he had a fright? Has he had a rare Heavenly Vision?

“He’s changed, that’s for sure! But, For the Love of Mike, WHY THAT VEIL???”

The answer probably lies in The Road Not Taken. You know, that hard road whose meanderings take us AWAY from comfort and security, and leads WE KNOW NOT WHERE?

At this point, it’s probably better than the main road because it’s less unsatisfying. Until we hit a roadblock!

The roadblock’s built by Ogres, and avoiding those monsters is why we came this way in the first place.

So we go AROUND the roadblock. And continue on because it’s a Good Path. Why?

Because it’s the only True path.

Now, some guys are further down this road than we are.

Like this minister...?

This minister is actually - because this is a recit a clef - the influential New England preacher and writer Jonathan Edwards. And no, he didn’t sport a black veil. That’s only a metaphor for the way Edwards’ parishioners CRUSHED HIS SOUL at his life’s early end.

He had suddenly seen their casual loose talk for what it was.

Edwards was cowed - but not broken. His death was hastened as a result and he became an aged man overnight. But his Reward gleamed All the More Brightly because of it.

NOW you may glimpse the reason for the veil.

But the story’s so short, you can probably pick it up for a SONG.

This is Sure to make you THINK... cause Hawthorne doesn’t judge anyone, including the parishioners.

And isn’t that the way God might see it?

Interested? It costs pennies.

FIVE FULL STARS.

A TRUE AMERICAN CLASSIC!

[Sean Barrs · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good short story, for me, is one that stays with me; it is powerful and not necessarily conclusive. The ending remains open; as I'm left to perpetual ponder its meaning. It stays in my head long after it’s been read. I read this around eight months ago, and I can still remember it vividly.

Mr Hooper is the minister and he is rather boring; he neither creates love or inspiration within the hearts of his flock. He speaks in a dry monotone manner that creates nothing but tiredness and nonchalance for the listeners. One day he randomly walks into church wearing a black veil. His flock, his once bored listeners, never perceive him in the same way again.

"There was but one thing remarkable about his appearance. Swathed about his forehead, and hanging down over his face so low as to be shaken by his breath, Mr. Hooper had on a black veil. On a nearer view it seemed to consist of two folds of crape, which entirely concealed his features, except the mouth and chin, but probably did not intercept his sight, further than to give a darkened aspect to all living and inanimate things."



Naturally, his flock ask the obvious question: why is he wearing this veil? What’s he got to hide? They are utterly scandalised by the event, horrified even. They believe he has a dark sin to hide. They shun him and eventually begin to fear him although they all agree that his sermons are much more affective. Not for a single moment do they show him passion and try to understand his obscure motives; they just want to be privy to his information for their own advantage and curious minds. However, despite his pseudo-banishment from the community, they still call on him in the hour of upmost desperation: he is still their spiritual advisor. In doing so, they demonstrate the fickly nature of their own grasp on faith.

“There is an hour to come,” said he, “when all of us shall cast aside our veils. Take it not amiss, beloved friend, if I wear this piece of crape till then.”

There are many ways to take this story. Firstly, the veil can be seen as a means of dehumanising the minister, which makes him more of a religious authority rather than a mere man: he becomes the faith rather than a representative of it. Secondly, the veil can be seen as a cruel, yet stark, mirror of his congregation’s fickle souls. If the guilty, and the untrue, look at it and see darkness when there is no real evidence to suggest it, then perhaps they are the ones with something to hide. Thirdly, the veil can be seen as a cover up. The mister has committed a great evil; thus, he cannot face mankind again. It is a shield, one for his own protection and that of his fellows. Each way of reading it has strong credence. I’d like to think of it as a combination of all of them.

There is a real dark meaning here, utterly distorted by the overlapping symbolism. This won’t be the last of Hawthorn’s short stories that I read!

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great parable on a Rev. named Hooper who always wears a black veil over his face. This may fit for a funeral but what about other occasions? Why does he never drop the veil and let his woman, Elizabeth go? A very captivating story with an interesting point of view. You'll follow the parson's character until its very end. Another Hawthorne classic and highly recommended!

[Hossein Sharifi · Rating 5 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT !

Summary:

داستان در مورد کشیشی است که یک روز هنگامی که می رسد، نقاب سیاهی به چهره زده و تنها دهان و چانه ی او دیده میشود. مردم به سرعت شروع به شایعه پراکنی میکنند و حتا نامزد او نیز در انتها به خاطر همین نقاب سیاه از او جدا میشود. عده ای این نقاب را مظهر گناه های خویش می دانند و همین امر باعث میشود که احساس ترس کنند و کم کم کشیش را از خود دور کنند. کشیش هرگز دلیل پوشیدن این حجاب را نمی گوید و حتا هنگامی که او در حال مردن است نمیگذارد که دست به آن نقاب بزنند. وقتی که می میرد اورا با همان نقاب دفن میکنند.



In "The Minister's Black Veil," Reverend Mr. Hooper incites town gossip when he starts wearing a mysterious black veil. He refuses to tell anyone why he's wearing it, and the townsfolk begin to think less of his character because of it. In the end, he dies without anyone knowing his reasons for donning the black veil.
• One Sabbath morning, the Reverend Mr. Hooper attends church wearing a black veil. He refuses to tell anyone his reasons for wearing the veil, despite increasing interest.
• Over time, the townsfolk isolate Parson Hooper, suspicious of the black veil. His fiancé, Elizabeth, begs him to take it off, but he refuses. She leaves him because of this.
• Reverend Hooper dies alone without ever revealing the secret of his black veil.

Analysis:

That humankind is universally afflicted with the so-called seven deadly sins (pride, covetousness, lust, envy, gluttony, anger, and sloth)
There are a number of ways to interpret the relationship between the townspeople and the minister. In one case, as described above, the people fear what they do not understand, and attribute any strange behaviors to madness or a certain evil. At no point in the story do the people attempt to consider the symbolic significance of the veil, rather they gossip about what actions caused Hooper's apparent shame. The townspeople are driven by curiosity and superstition rather than humanity.
Other interpretations believe the veil acted as a mirror, making all the townspeople more aware of their own sins. The more aware they became of their own sinful nature, the more uncomfortable they were, and thus being around the minister and seeing his veil troubled them deeply, even during happy times. Finally, other critics have claimed that the minister had committed a grave offense, such as adultery with the girl whose funeral he attended, and this was the reason that he could not tell Elizabeth what his crime had been.
Everyone has a secret sin or sorrow that is hidden from all others. Everyone could, like the Reverend Mr. Hooper, cover his face with a black veil. The Reverend Mr. Hooper has chosen to make his black veil visible while others have kept their secrets in their own hearts.

Themes :

Alienation and Loneliness, and Puritanism and Piety. Appearance, Perception, and Interpretation. Sin and guilt.



MAJOR Characters :

Reverend Hooper: the protagonist
Elizabeth: Hooper's fiancé
The young woman: The young woman, who is being buried on the day that Hooper first wears his veil

Minor characters:

Mr. Joseph Moody: Another clergyman who wears a veil. Hawthorne explains that Moody, a minister of a town in Maine, does so because he accidentally killed his friend as a young man. Hawthorne adds, cryptically, that Hooper’s veil has a different meaning than Moody’s.
Reverend Clark: a young priest from the nearby town of Westbury, is standing by Hooper’s bedside when he dies. He asks Hooper what crime caused him to hide his face, and listens in shock and amazement to Hooper’s response.

Squire Saunders: An old member of the Milford community who usually invites Hooper to dine with him after services, but doesn’t do so in the story because, it is strongly implied, once Hooper starts wearing the veil.

The physician: thinks that Hooper is insane when he first puts on the veil, but also notes, perceptively, that men are sometimes afraid to be alone with themselves, foreshadowing Hooper’s discussion of sin and guilt.

The sexton: The first person to notice that Hooper is wearing the veil, the sexton quickly draws the entire town’s attention with his shocked response to Hooper’s changed appearance.

Symbol:

Without a doubt, the most important symbol in “The Minister’s Black Veil” is the black veil itself, but what it symbolizes is more complicated than it seems to either Hooper or the townspeople. It is a symbol of the superficiality of Puritan society. Hooper’s veil could symbolize his pride and a symbol of mankind’s general sinfulness.

Important Sentence:

"All through life that piece of crape had hung between him and the world: it had separated him from cheerful brotherhood and woman's love, and kept him in that saddest of all prisons, his own heart; and still it lay upon his face, as if to deepen the gloom of his darksome chamber, and shade him from the sunshine of eternity." - The Minister's Black Veil

In "The Minister's Black Veil," Mr. Hooper lies on his deathbed, still wearing the veil that changed his life forever. Once loved by all the townspeople, Mr. Hooper died a lonely man, his connections to others severed by the mere donning of the veil. The people, full of sin themselves, felt fear and resentment when they saw the physical symbol of sin on the minister's face. The fact that he wore it to his deathbed only frightened them more, as this was the time when he should be forgiven of his sins, ready to meet the Lord in Heaven, and happy to see the "sunshine of eternity." Until death, he is a lonely man, confined to a prison of his own making; he is left alone with his afflicted thoughts and fears.

[John Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favourite story which I often think about. It's written from the heart and is more than a tad autobiographical I feel.

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 3 out of 5]

"There is an hour to come when all of us shall cast aside our veils."
Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Minister's Black Veil


I had never even heard of this story until recently. It is about a Minister who shows up one day to give a sermon wearing a strange and eerie black veil.

He will not tell anyone why he is wearing it and as the small community ponders the question, rumors begin to hatch.

The Minister is adamant that he will never remove the veil. Ever.

He gives up everything for that veil. He loses his friends. He loses his fiancee. One might think he loses his dignity but do not be so sure.

I cannot say much more without giving the whole thing away. I will say I understand the poignant symbolism and liked the Minister but did not love the story. Part of that, I thin, is because it was so short. It felt unfinished in a way.

There really isn't much character development but there can't be in such a short story. It isn't scary, merely creepy but there are other short stories I've liked better.

The premise I think was great but there is much left unexplained and at the end of the day I do wish it was a bit longer. I loved the story's underlying message and the vivid descriptions of the small community and town so I'd still give it a 3.5. Oh how I wish Goodreads had 1-10 ratings.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Minister’s Black Veil is an iconic short story, read and taught for centuries, and still relevant today, for it is about human nature, and human nature has changed little since the 1700s.

The minister assumes, without explanation, the wearing of a black veil over his face. His parishioners immediately speculate upon the reason for this strange action, and all of their speculations center around a defect in the soul of the minister--what is he hiding beneath the veil?

His first sermon preached wearing the veil is described in this way:

The subject had reference to secret sin and those sad mysteries which we hide from our nearest and dearest, and would fain conceal from our own consciousness, even forgetting that the Omniscient can detect them. A subtle power was breathed into his words. Each member of the congregation, the most innocent girl and the man of hardened breast, felt as if the preacher had crept upon them behind his awful veil and discovered their hoarded iniquity of deed or thought.

And this would seem to be the theme of this story--the secret sin every man carries, attempts to conceal, perhaps even from himself, but can never conceal from God. But, one cannot help also assess the minister himself and his actions in terms of casting judgment on others, displaying so prominently what he feels are his own insights, and sacrificing a more human and loving relationship to his parishioners and his intended bride, whom he has alienated after promising to love, for a sort of proud display of his recognition of the subtle sins of himself and others. Is he usurping God’s domain?

When he dies and is buried in the veil, has he left a lasting lesson to his congregation that will enable them to more closely guard their lives and behavior? Or, has he died and been buried beneath a veil that separated him from them and kept him from being the mentor and guide he might have been otherwise, leaving them only a legacy of fear? Has he lived, or sacrificed the life God intended for him?

This is a complicated story with theological overtones, particularly regarding the nature of original sin and how that is interpreted by the faithful. I believe our collective view of original sin has changed significantly since the 1700s. We, as a people, are far from as strict in our interpretation of sin itself. But, I think we would all agree that each of us has our own secret moral lapses that we do not wish to share with others, perhaps lapses that are minor or perhaps lapses that we consider stains upon our lives. The story seems to me to be far from a black and white warning against sin, it rather leaves us with several views to ponder, and such pondering might be balm for the soul.

[Latasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I freakin love Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories! everything about this story is beautiful.

[Januario]

Nathaniel Hawthorne does not use this short-story as a tale to depict the vivid yet appreciated memories of his community. Rather, the "Minister's Black Veil" is used as a way of describing the hypocritical Puritan community, using the theme of accepting sin to question and challenge the righteousness and morality of others to impose judgment. Reverend Hooper, a reverend of a Puritan community, comes up to mass one day wearing a black veil. The individuals of the community are greatly perturbed that such respected and revered figure is wearing such a dark and grim symbol in an honored situation. Even more, they start spreading rumors, claiming that the minister is a sinner who yet to accept his sins. In this context they are right, but need not must they show judgment because they, too, bear sins like the minister. Furthermore, by wearing the veil that symbolizes sin, the minister is essentially choosing to accept the presence of sin and admit that he has sinned. Those who judge him not only come out as ignorant to the presence of sins, but examples of the exact definition of hypocrisy that Hawthorn's community lived with. In the end the minister dies with the veil still covering his face, ultimately suggesting that even in death humans are not free of sin and death itself is not the key to freedom from sins -- repentance is.

[Saranya ⋆☕︎ ˖ (hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short story that shows that even the 19th-century New Englanders knew how to go viral.

Reverend Hooper, a man who presumably had a perfectly pleasant face, decides one Sunday to don a black veil, transforming himself into the talk of the town and a master of psychological warfare. You'd think it was a new fashion statement, but no, it's something far more sinister... it's a symbol. The symbolism is still in an endless debate.

Hooper, a man who seemingly valued a good mystery over good social graces, keeps his motivations shrouded, much like his face. The story is a masterclass in awkward social interactions, proving that a single accessory can derail an entire community's peace of mind.

It's a quick read, but the questions it raises will haunt you:)
Enjoy!!!

[Jimena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un relato corto pero contundente sobre la condición humana y su obsesión más con la apariencia de rectitud y normalidad que con el genuino ejercicio de la moral. Un pastor, un velo negro cubriéndolo el rostro y, a causa de éste, un distanciamiento tangible, físico pero aún más metafórico con una comunidad que sugiere, prejuzga e incluso condena sin comprender, sin asumir sus propios velos, su propio horror oculto y mal disimulado.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Repent, ye sinners!

The Reverend Mr Hopper is a young minister, kindly and patient, who has always tried to lead his parishioners into goodness rather than thundering to them about hell and damnation. He is well liked in his parish, often invited to the homes of the respectable parishioners, and engaged to be married to a sweet young woman. But one Sunday, as he approaches the church to give the service, his parishioners notice something strange. He is wearing a black veil. Somehow this veil, which covers his whole face apart from his mouth and chin, makes his parishioners uneasy...

As far as I can tell the veil is basically a metaphor for the idea of original sin. By wearing it outwardly, he reminds his parishioners of the sin they carry hidden inside themselves. I'm not religious so the finer points of why we all have to be miserable all the time have passed me by somewhat, but it seemed to me this is exactly the kind of short story John Knox would have loved to curl up with after a hard day's work preaching hellfire and damnation and lambasting the monstrous regiment of women and suchlike. Suffice it to say, it doesn't have what you'd think of as a traditionally happy ending (though one hopes poor old Rev Hopper got his rewards in the afterlife – one couldn't help but feel the veil must have got very grubby after the first thirty years or so. One hopes he didn't eat a lot of spaghetti bolognese...)

More seriously, the writing is wonderfully atmospheric and hugely effective at creating a feeling of unease. Why does he suddenly start wearing the veil? Is it because of something he's done, or something he fears he might do? Is it a sign of madness? Or is there some physical cause – what would the parishioners see if he lifted the veil? They want to know... but they are afraid to know. And so is the reader. As with most allegories, the reader is largely left to do the work – to create the meaning for herself. Even this atheist found it unsettling, thought-provoking and beautifully ambiguous.

An excellent story – recommended. It might not make you tremble with fear, but it may cause you to lie awake for a bit, pondering on the mysteries of the soul...

www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok wracam do słuchania DTP

Po przesłuchaniu: byl tam mount Everest, wielebny w żadnym momencie nie przyznał, że welon jest tylko eksperymentem społecznym i nie skrywa żadnego grzechu, jak dla mnie typ cudzołożył i miał kiłę

[˗ˏˋ n a j v a ˊˎ˗ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nancy Bunge
On "The Minister's Black Veil"
From Nathaniel Hawthorne: A Study of the Short Fiction by Nancy Bunge (Boston: Twayne, 1993), 18-20.


In "The Minister's Black Veil," the Reverend Mr. Hooper startles his congregation by appearing for Sunday services with a black piece of cloth over his face. He wears the veil for the rest of his life, refusing to remove it even on his deathbed. He protests he must display this symbol of his evil to serve as a moral example: "What, but the mystery which it obscurely typifies, has made this piece of crape so awful? When the friend shows his inmost heart to his friend; the lover to his best-beloved; when man does not vainly shrink from the eye of his Creator, loathsomely treasuring up the secret of his sin; then deem me a monster, for the symbol beneath which I have lived, and diel I look around me, and, lo! on every visage a Black Veil!"
Hooper's veil does educate. Others respond powerfully to him because it forces them to confront their depravity: "Each member of the congregation, the most innocent girl, and the man of hardened breast, felt as if the preacher had crept upon them, behind his awful veil, and discovered their hoarded iniquity of deed or thought... An unsought pathos came hand in hand with awe." While most attempt to evade this awareness, the dying realize they must face it and call for the Reverend Mr. Hooper. The veil also improves Hooper's funeral sermons: "It was a tender and heart-dissolving prayer, full of sorrow, yet so imbued with celestial hopes, that the music of a heavenly harp, swept by the fingers of the dead, seemed faintly to be heard among the saddest accents of the minister." And, it ties him to the dead; one parishioner claims it makes him "ghost-like," and at the end of his career, "he had one congregation in the church, and a more crowded one in the church-yard." Because of the veil's positive consequences, many critics believe the tale validates Hooper's behavior.
But Hooper's parishioners disagree. They no longer welcome the minister at weddings or Sunday dinner. They believe some occasions go more smoothly without a living parable of evil present. People sin, but they also experience joy and love. By turning himself into an unrelenting example of depravity, Hooper demonstrates a lack of generosity, most of all toward himself. His veil shuts out happiness, giving "a darkened aspect to all living and inanimate things." It may even distort his religious views, for it "threw its obscurity between him and the holy page, as he read the Scriptures." A number of critics embrace this view of Hooper. Nor surprisingly, a third critical contingent, the smallest, argues that Hooper, like most human beings, is both noble and foolish.
Hooper's fiancée, Elizabeth, sides with this group of commentators. When she threatens to leave Hooper if he does not remove the veil, he begs her not to abandon him: "Oh! you know not how lonely I am, and how frightened to be alone behind my black veil. Do not leave me in this miserable obscurity for ever!'" Indeed, it does isolate him: "Thus, from beneath the black veil, there rolled a cloud into the sunshine, an ambiguity of sin or sorrow, which enveloped the poor minister, so that love or sympathy could never reach him." But Elizabeth never leaves him. She sits at his deathbed, protecting the veil because it matters to him and because she loves him: "There was the nurse, no hired handmaiden of death, but one whose calm affection had endured thus long, in secrecy, in solitude, amid the chill of age, and would not perish, even at the dying hour." Love is there for Hooper, but the veil prevents him from seeing or enjoying it.

[Franky · Rating 4 out of 5]

“There was but one thing remarkable in his appearance. Swathed about his forehead, and hanging down over his face, so low as to be shaken by his breath, Mr. Hooper had on a black veil.”

I’m sure many in high school or college partook of this little gem from Hawthorne at some point.

I see many similarities to Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and this shorter work, as there are several themes that apply. When the respected reverend of a Puritan society one day decides to hide his face from the world with a black veil, it sets his congregation and their community astir in shock, disgust, confusion, and wonder.

The level of symbolism in “The Minister’s Black Veil” is off the charts, and we can take many of the aspects of Hooper’s conflict and the reactions from the people themselves as a sense of alluding to guilt, sin, redemption and penance, and a sense of hypocrisy from the multitudes of Puritans who form judgement upon the reverend.

I think the beauty of this allegory is simply that Hawthorne does not give you every answer, and you are forced to really get inside the head of Reverend Cooper to understand his motives for wearing the veil and alienating himself from the New England populace. There is so much internal conflict that is suggested and hinted at and we, as readers, must tie some of those factors together to get a picture of what is taking place.

A really powerful story that has remarkable prose and works as a fine morality tale about the nature of sin, and the means of atoning for it.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

"And if I cover it [my face] for secret sin, what mortal might not do the same?"


“Why do you tremble at me alone?” cried he, turning his veiled face round the circle of pale spectators. “Tremble also at each other! Have men avoided me, and women shown no pity, and children screamed and fled, only for my black veil? What, but the mystery which it obscurely typifies, has made this piece of crape so awful? When the friend shows his inmost heart to his friend; the lover to his best beloved; when man does not vainly shrink from the eye of his Creator, loathsomely treasuring up the secret of his sin; then deem me a monster, for the symbol beneath which I have lived, and die! I look around me, and, lo! on every visage a Black Veil!”

[Vaishali · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's Hawthorne, so here's your chance to drink in some colonial New England Halloween-style creepiness. An interesting subtext on how we human beings judge each other too quickly.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great atmosphere, a creepy little story.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

The Reverend Mr. Hooper exits his front door on his way to preach a Sunday sermon and is wearing a black veil over his face. There are innumerable ways to interpret this oddity. This variance from what one considers normal, but the main question is why? Why does the minister don this veil and wear it for the rest of his life? Again, I don’t know. Was it a barrier to protect the minister from the sins of his congregation? Was it a barrier to protect the minister’s congregation from the sins of the minister? Or does the veil represent something entirely different. One can only speculate based on their religious or nonreligious ideology. A symbol the veil most certainly is and in this case does have a positive effect, in that the minister is listened to and deeply respected. Hawthorne doesn’t give any hints about why.

My curiosity leans more to the unknown. What happened to the Reverend Hooper from the time he last entered his house not wearing a veil, to when he exited his house wearing the veil? Was he confronted with something divine or evil? Again, who knows?

This is a well written and thought provoking story. It left me with questions and no answers and if I had to classify its genre, I call it a mystery. Give it a read it doesn’t take long.

[Ralph Gallagher · Rating 4 out of 5]

One day, a minister appears before his congregation wearing a black veil that covers his face except for his mouth and chin. This act startles and frightens the congregation and they shy away from him. The only one with a enough courage to confront him is his fiance, but he won't tell even her why he wears the veil.

For my English 201 class, I had to read two short stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne - this one and Young Goodman Brown. I have to say, I liked this one far more than Young Goodman Brown. It was written simplistically but artfully. The grammar and tone was easy to read and follow through out the story. The plot was also very interesting and engaging.

Not only was the plot enjoyable, but there was interesting subtext. There was a moral that was easy to understand and didn't leave you sitting there staring at the page in an attempt to figure it out. I'd highly recommend this story to any English majors or those considering majoring in English.

[Laura]

Free download available at Project Gutenberg.

CONTENTS

The Gray Champion
The Wedding Knell
The Minister's Black Veil
The May-Pole of Merry Mount
The Gentle Boy
Mr. Higginbotham's Catastrophe
Wakefield
The Great Carbuncle
David Swan
The Hollow of the Three Hills
Dr. Heidegger's Experiment
Legends of the Province House
I. Howe's Masquerade
II. Edward Randolph's Portrait
III. Lady Eleanore's Mantle
IV. Old Esther Dudley
The Ambitious Guest
Peter Goldthwaite's Treasure
The Shaker Bridal
Endicott and the Red Cross

[Marc Lamot · Rating 2 out of 5]

Small novella from 1832. Completely matching the Gothic genre and thus with exaggerated drama. Yet it works, because the veil minister Hooper carries his whole life in front of his face, is such a powerful symbol for mystery, darkness, the dark and sinful side of life and so injesting absolute fear into everyone around him. In this short story we see also a foreshadowing of Kafka. I think it's about time that I read "the Scarlet Letter", Hawthorne's masterpiece.
(read in a not-published Dutch translation by Frans Redant, following Romeo Castellucci's play, december 2016, in Antwerp).

[Kathrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short story that took me back to The Scarlett Letter.

[Bettie]

:0)

Reverend Hooper takes to wearing a black veil across his face.

[mesal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wonder what a deconstructionist reading of this text would be able to uncover, because even while reading with the grain I felt like the text itself was trying to make me read against the grain. I also wonder how I should go about incorporating the word 'bugbear' in my daily vocabulary.

[Henry Seufert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now THAT’S Hawthorne!

[notyourfriend · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was surprisingly good. It made a great, realistic point,even though it was depressing.

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This quick and entertaining story made me think of Billy Porter's Met Gala hat.


I liked that Hawthorne touches on how un-curious the townsfolk are -- I don't think I could handle going to church every week and watching a veiled minister, the suspense would be too much. I'm a little disappointed that the one woman who got close enough to be considered a potential girlfriend didn't try to seduce him and snatch it off!


"It was remarkable, that, of all the busy-bodies and impertinent people in the parish, not one ventured to put the plain question to Mr. Hooper, wherefore he did his thing."