Minister's Black Veil

A detailed Summary of Minister's Black Veil

The Dichotomies That Are Presented In Both Human Life And In The Short Story "The Minister's Black Veil" As Seen And Written By Nathaniel Hawthorne

We, as humans, and as an integral part of all this things subsisting in this world, survive within a tightly woven network of life. As the peak of this hierarchical organization, we must acknowledge, endure and accept the duality of our disposition. Though, we see ourselves as superior, we are simply survivors. Even our esteemed stature in the all-encompassing pyramidal tendency of Mother Nature, can't serve to eliminate the trite, yet, overlooked dichotomous nature of Our being. While we are overwhelmed by both the actions of others and ourselves, we remain sheltered from all motives by a thickly woven blanket of ignorance. And in the unconscious effort to cloak untainted perception we ironically elude ourselves into thinking otherwise. Consequently, through self-ministry, our duality perpetuates through our inherent contradiction, which, in turn fosters the dichotomies of our nature. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's, "The Minister's Black Veil", these hackneyed dichotomies, such as: good and evil, light and dark, mortal and heavenly, are metaphorically illustrated, through coun

Then our dependence on each others' diversity leads to an exalting of a third party; God. This glorified fabrication (of either its being or its power) empowered by the imagination of masses, serves to be the dichotomy of the perception of being: heavenly vs. mortal. The omnipotence of this third entity, which includes judiciary powers, breeds the dichotomy of good vs. evil, labels that are both earned and judged. All throughout the short story Hawthorne implies that something evil is transpiring. Many critics have commented on Mr. Hooper's reasoning for the concealment by the black veil. Stibitz, a critic from Southern Illinois University, acknowledges the ideas of other renowned analyses. He, in particular, sites Edgar Allan Poe's interpretation that Mr. Hooper must have committed a crime (page 183). I, however, agree with Stibitz in the sense that Hawthorne's reasoning behind Hooper's wearing of the veil is not necessarily indicative of a heinous crime, i.e., murder, as proclaimed by Poe. The veil represents a wrongdoing of some sort, but Hawthorne purposefully makes the truth indefinite, corresponding to the multiple reasons of the action, in terms of the veil in Mr. Hooper's case, and in more general terms in the case of mankind. Mr. Hooper's most evil; human mistake is also shown through the double meaning of the veil, hence, once again, it's two parts. The veil symbolic of Mr. Hooper's beliefs about the evil of human secrecy, but also as the irony that overcomes him, negating his conscious premise with his own secrecy, signified by the veil itself. Hawthorne alludes to the irony between Mr. Hooper's motives and actions within the hopeful connection by the reader of two scenes: one being the imp that imitates Mr. Hooper by running around with a black handkerchief over his face in attempts to frighten his peers. However, his mockery got the best of him and he managed to scare himself. The other scene being the wedding. In this scene Mr. Hooper catches a glimpse of his own reflection while wearing the veil, involving "[...] his own spirit in the horror with which it overwhelmed all others. His frame shuddered, his lips grew white, he spilt the untasted wine upon the carpet, and rushed into the darkness" (6). Hawthorne uses these scenes to not only be satirical, but to also emphasize the irony, and more importantly, the existence of human internal dualism. We, like Mr. Hooper, are plagued by sinful needs, such as egoism, and the influence of unconscious motives; ultimately leading to the contradiction between intended and overt behavior. Hawthorne also adds dichotomies such as light and dark in these scenes to represent the evil and the irony between the veil, it's meaning, also hinted by the inappropriateness of the veil at the wedding.

The catalyst of our creation, accord

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Approximate Word count = 1897
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels