Refection-The Minister's Black Veil

I have to say first that I really enjoyed reading this story. I do not usually enjoy reading these stories out of the book, but this one I did enjoy reading it. The reason I enjoyed reading this story over the other stories is the fact that it had some mystery that I enjoyed to read. Mystery was a key aspect during the Dark Romanticism period. This story had mystery within it just like this quote, "When the throng had mostly streamed into the porch, the sexton began to toll the bell, keeping his eye on the Reverend Mr. Hooper's door. The first glimpse of the clergyman's figure was the signal for the bell to cease its summons. But what has good Parson Hooper got upon his face? cried the sexton in astonishment. All within hearing immediately turned about, and beheld the semblance of Mr. Hooper, pacing slowly his meditative way towards the meetinghouse. With one accord they started, expressing more wonder than if some strange minister were coming to dust the cushions of Mr. Hooper's pulpit. Are you sure it is our parson? inquired Goodman Gray of the sexton" (Hawthorne 280). This shows a great deal of mystery because Mr. Hooper who is the minister, is wearing a Black Veil over his face. He has never taken it off and people are beginning to wonder if it really is Mr. Hopper. Another characteristic that this story uses is the imagination factor of the Dark Romanticism period. We can use the imagination part in this story because we can imagine in our heads as to what this man looks like in person. Wearing a black veil over your face, you can not tell what his face looks like. Another characteristic of the Dark Romanticism period in this story is the fact that there is tragedy. The tragedy in this story is that Mr. Hooper dies at the end, which shows another characteristic of the story.

The psychological factor in this story is the fact that everybody is determining if this is a bad thing or a good thing that is over his face. Just like a quote in the story, "I can't really feel as if good Mr. Hooper's face was behind that piece of crepe, said the sexton. I don't like it, muttered an old woman, as she hobbled into the meetinghouse. He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face" (Hawthorne 281). I do not really find the reason as to why they are saying he is bad. If I were them I would go up to him and take of the black veil and let him reveal himself. "Edgar Allan Poe, as well as other critics, have suggested that Hooper wears the veil as penance for a "specific sin" (Wright). This is an example from the criticism where Wright is describing a theory that critics have come up with for Mr. Hooper having that black veil over his face. In this story, Hawthorne does a good job with handling the Dark Romanticism period and tying it in with this story.

Bibliography

Wright, Sarah Bird. "'The Minister's Black Veil'." Critical Companion to Nathaniel Hawthorne: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The Minister's Black Veil." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 280-289. Print.