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]