The Minister's Black Veil By Nathaniel Hawthorne
The veil in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil” is one symbol Hawthorne shares in his short story. Mr. Hooper, a pastor, scares his congregation when he enters into the church with a black veil covering his face. The sexton says, “I can’t really feel as if good Mr. Hooper’s face was behind that piece of crepe” (256). Before the veil, the congregation thought of Mr. Hooper as a good preacher. He sought to bring “his people heavenward by mild, persuasive influences” (257). After the veil, he gives a disturbing speech that is out of the ordinary for his character. “The subject had reference to secret sin, and those sad mysteries which we hide from our nearest and dearest, and would fain conceal from our own consciousness, even forgetting