The Minister's Black Veil

A detailed Summary of The Minister's Black Veil


The veil, no more than a black scrap of cloth, represented a barrier that the minister decided to erect between himself and the rest of the world. This led to a profound change in the public's perception of him. However, more important than what the veil represents are the reasons behind Minister Hooper's decision to undertake an action that would completely sever him from the community where he lived and loved. One possibility is that he came to an understanding of human nature so disturbing that he felt the need to either physically manifest this characteristic or separate himself from the world for the better of all. Another reason could be that he was undergoing a personal crisis and decided to test the bounds of the most sacred human emotion, love. Whatever the reason minister Hooper was pushed further and further away as he could not go back and the people could not accept this change.

In the beginning of the story the minister seems to believe that no man or woman was completely honest with their God, their friends, their family or themselves. They always kept a certain part of themselves hidden, secreted away where they thought no one could


The test, which the minister gave to the people of his parish, was one that they could not understand. The first response was one of surprise and confusion, 'But what has Parson Hooper got on his face?' (pg.73) cried a sexton. The misunderstanding was followed by fear, 'I would not be alone with him for the world. I wonder he is not afraid to be alone with himself?'.(pg. 73) The fear quickly became akin to hate as people started to avoid the minister. At first it was small things. People began to spread rumors about the Reverend Hooper and his state of mind. 'I can't really feel as if good Mister Hoopers face was behind that piece of crepe',(pg.73) said on parishioner and 'He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face,' said another. Still another surmised that 'Our parson has gone mad.'(pg. 73) Then came the time when people 'forgot' to invite him for dinner where before he had been a weekly fixture at their table. The pastor himself did not change in thought, word, or deed after he placed the veil over his own face, other people did. He was still the good preacher he had always been, kind and loving though unloved and feared, winning people 'heavenward by

Some common words found in the essay are:
Minister Hooper's, Mister Hoopers, Parson Hooper, Black Veil, Reverend Hooper, human nature, black veil, people preacher, minister people, whatever reason,

Approximate Word count = 799
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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