The Minister’s Black Veil
by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Feature Menu
Introducing the Story
Literary Skills Focus: Symbolism
Literary Skills Focus: Literary
Perspectives
Reading Skills Focus: Drawing
Inferences
Writing Skills Focus: Think as a
Reader/Writer
The Minister’s Black Veil
by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Where does an
individual find
inspiration?
The Sermon by Julius Gari Melchers
The Minister’s Black Veil
Introducing the Story
Click on the title to start the video.
The Minister’s Black Veil
Introducing the Story
Would people be comfortable . . .
. . . if we knew the contents of each other’s souls?
The Minister’s Black Veil
Introducing the Story
Mr. Hooper, a young Puritan clergyman, shocks his
congregation by appearing at the church one
Sunday in a black veil.
• Why, the people wonder
fearfully, is their minister
hiding his face?
• Is the veil related to the
topic of Mr. Hooper’s
sermon—secret sin?
[End of Section]
The Minister’s Black Veil
Literary Skills Focus: Symbolism
A symbol is something that
• has meaning in itself
• also stands for something beyond itself
peace
passage of time
love
The Minister’s Black Veil
Literary Skills Focus: Symbolism
Hawthorne, like other Dark Romantics, used
symbolism in his writing. The central symbol in
this story is a black veil.
Descriptions of
the veil suggest
its symbolic
importance.
The veil “darkly
separates the
wearer from the
world.”
“horrible”
“dismal shade”
“mysterious emblem”
The Minister’s Black Veil
Literary Skills Focus: Analyzing Historical Context
Thinking about historical context helps you
understand the culture of the time.
In Puritan New
England, sin was a
frequent sermon topic.
How might the Puritans’
focus on sin and guilt
have affected their
emotions and actions?
The Sermon by Julius Gari Melchers
[End of Section]
The Minister’s Black Veil
Reading Skills Focus: Drawing Inferences
When you read a story, you draw inferences about
characters and events.
An inference is an educated
guess based on
• details in the text
• your own knowledge and
experience
The Minister’s Black Veil
Reading Skills Focus: Drawing Inferences
How can you infer the mood on the Sunday
morning in Milford as the story begins?
“Children,
“Children,with
with
bright
bright
faces,
faces,
tripped
tripped
merrily
merrily
beside
their
beside
parents,
their parents,
or mimicked
or mimicked
a graver a
gait,
graver
in the
gait, in
conscious
the conscious
dignity
dignity
of their
of their
Sunday
Sunday
clothes.
clothes.
Spruce
Spruce
bachelors looked sidelong at the pretty
prettymaidens,
maidens,
and
fancied
and fancied
that the
that
Sabbath
the Sabbath
sunshine
sunshine
made them
made
prettier
than
themon
prettier
weekdays.”
than on weekdays.”
From these details you can infer that the mood is
lighthearted.
The Minister’s Black Veil
Reading Skills Focus: Drawing Inferences
Into Action As you read, keep a chart like the one
below to record your inferences about characters,
events, and symbols.
Details
“Children, with
bright faces,
tripped merrily”;
“bachelors looked
sidelong at the
pretty maidens.”
My Knowledge
Many of the words
have a lighthearted,
pleasant connotation.
My Inferences
The mood in
Milford is
cheerful and
happy.
[End of Section]
The Minister’s Black Veil
Writing Skills Focus: Think As a Reader/Writer
Find It in Your Reading The black veil is the
principal symbol in this story.
As you read, notice how
the author suggests the
veil’s meanings by
describing the way it
affects
• the congregation’s view of Mr. Hooper
• Mr. Hooper’s view of the world
Vocabulary
The Minister’s Black Veil
Vocabulary
inanimate adj.: lifeless.
obscurity n.: darkness.
iniquity n.: wickedness.
ostentatious adj.: deliberately attracting notice.
pensively adv.: thoughtfully or seriously.
antipathy n.: strong dislike.
plausibility n.: believability.
The Minister’s Black Veil
Vocabulary
Those inanimate objects which can be easily
replaced are not highly valued.
Which of these inanimate objects might be
hardest to replace?
The Minister’s Black Veil
Vocabulary
The surprised security officer was compelled to
ask, “Is everything in your luggage inanimate?”
What might the officer
have noticed?
a. a lump
b. heaviness
c. meowing
The Minister’s Black Veil
Vocabulary
You are aware of obscurity when the lights
literally go out, but you may also sense a kind of
darkness if you are not noticed or recognized.
Not everyone
depends on the
spotlight for
happiness, but
few like to work
in obscurity.
The Minister’s Black Veil
Vocabulary
Unlike some writers, Hawthorne did not have to
toil in obscurity.
A writer or
artist often first
creates in
obscurity,
until the quality
of the work is
recognized.
The Minister’s Black Veil
Vocabulary
A circus today would be considered reasonable
and tame entertainment for the family . . . hardly
a den of iniquity.
What features does this
clown have, however, that
suggest wickedness, or
iniquity?
The Minister’s Black Veil
Vocabulary
The word iniquity is old-fashioned, but the
concept of wickedness is common enough today.
Which of these
people looks
the least likely
to be guilty of
any iniquity?
A
B
C
The Minister’s Black Veil
Vocabulary
The word ostentatious suggests an outward
appearance created for the express purpose of
showing off.
The Minister’s Black Veil
Vocabulary
While the word ostentatious can carry a negative
connotation, a show-off quality is often appreciated
in public buildings.
Which is more ostentatious, the opera house in
Sidney or the arch in St. Louis?
The Minister’s Black Veil
Vocabulary
The adverb pensively suggests that someone
has some deep thinking to do.
A poet pensively considering a sonnet is
probably in what kind of mood?
thoughtful
meditative
eager
deceitful
lighthearted
serious
harsh
jealous
The Minister’s Black Veil
Vocabulary
Before Angela accepted the promotion, she and
her siblings considered the impact of a move.
They each reflected pensively on how they
would stay close from a greater distance.
The Minister’s Black Veil
Vocabulary
The word antipathy suggests a dislike that is
somewhat milder than deep hatred.
Melton’s hostility toward
classmates is only
fleeting.
What might help him
forget his antipathy?
The Minister’s Black Veil
Vocabulary
The word antipathy brings to mind several words
built on the root –path, meaning feeling.
Match the following prefix/root
combinations with their meanings:
apathy antipathy empathy
hostile
feeling
shared
feeling
no
feeling
The Minister’s Black Veil
Vocabulary
Marianne enjoys inviting partners onto the dance
floor . . .
but can there be any
plausibility to the rumor
she’s an extraterrestrial
who makes dancers
disappear between the
waltz and the cha-cha?
The Minister’s Black Veil
Vocabulary
One may imagine a bizarre and unbelievable
scenario, only to find that the natural world
functions with equally astounding results.
If you had never seen a
gyroscope before, would
you doubt the
plausibility of such
incredible balance?
[End of Section]
The End