From the very beginning the piece of cloth covering Mr. Hooper's face cast an air of dismay over those attending church. They were confused and offended by his appearance and rumors quickly spread across the meeting house like brush fires. Mr. Hooper's indifference to their state of anxiety only fanned the fires they had unconsciously lit in their minds. The course of action that Mr. Hooper had taken was interpreted as being uncharacteristic of his normal teaching methods "...he strove to win his people heavenward by mild, persuasive influences, rather than to drive them thither by the thunders of the Word."(4

Mr. Hooper was a lonely man during his life because he devoted himself completely to his teachings. The fear he inspired throughout the citizens of paid dividends that they did not even realize. Those who lived sinful lives were as effected by his veil as those who were pious. His dream for everyone to drop their veils may never happen but a seed was planted in a small society to at least try. The equality that the anxiety over his veil evoked helped to get Mr. Hooper's point across without ever having to fully explain.

After his regular mass Mr. Hooper had two ceremonies left to perform; a marriage and a funeral. Hawthorne chose a ritual that should be filled with happiness and another with sadness to focus on how the veil could effect people in the two different circumstances.

The community was perplexed about what the black veil meant and instead of going to the source of confusion they gossiped and some children even mocked him. The first real effort to discover the reason behind the black veil failed because the group of respected citizens sent to question him about it were intimidated by his indifference toward it's existence. The smugness with which he wore it only furthered the anxiety of his peers. From that point on in the town Mr. Hooper was regarded with respect also fear. The people were not afraid of the cloth or even what was behind the cloth but rather the mystery surrounding his reasons for wearing it. For this Mr. Hooper gave up eve

Some common words found in the essay are:
Veil Hooper, Nathaniel Hawthorne, , black veil, piece cloth, simple piece cloth, black veil hooper, reason black, veil hooper, simple piece, reason black veil,
Approximate Word count = 995
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)