Essay Comparing The Devil And Tom Walker And The Minister's Black Veil
Steven Neale 1/18/00
"The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washington Irving, "The Minister's Black Veil," by Hawthorne, and The Crucible, by Arthur Miller all share similar themes and they all use different genres and forms to help express the story's theme. The three stories all comment on Puritan beliefs and the nature of man, and they deal with the fear of the unknown and not wanting to face the truths. "The Devil and Tom Walker" is a folk tale, which uses satire to describe Puritan beliefs. "The Minister's Black Veil" is a parable and an allegory, where the people and objects in the story all symbolize something. The Crucible is a historical drama, which deals with Puritan beliefs directly and in a serious matter. " The Devil and Tom Walker is a folk tale which teaches a lesson and uses stock characters. The idea …show more content…
The way Hawthorne chooses to tell the story is very important. He tells it in third person limited, through the eyes of the parishioners. In doing so we never find out the truth about the veil and it becomes a mystery to everyone around him. The main symbol in the story is the veil, which represents death and darkness. Also the veil symbolizes the secret of sin. At one point he even says, "If I hide my face for sorrow, there is cause enough, and if I cover it for secret of sin, what moral might not do the same." The veil basically ends his life, his love left him for it and many others feel uncomfortable around him with it on. The veil also is the antagonist of the story because it creates change among the parishioners, who are the protagonists. The veil is unknown to the town and even the reader, which brings up the point of the fear of the unknown and the nature of man. The story also presents the idea of isolation, Mr. Hooper is isolated because he is different that everyone else, similar to John Proctor in The
"The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washington Irving, "The Minister's Black Veil," by Hawthorne, and The Crucible, by Arthur Miller all share similar themes and they all use different genres and forms to help express the story's theme. The three stories all comment on Puritan beliefs and the nature of man, and they deal with the fear of the unknown and not wanting to face the truths. "The Devil and Tom Walker" is a folk tale, which uses satire to describe Puritan beliefs. "The Minister's Black Veil" is a parable and an allegory, where the people and objects in the story all symbolize something. The Crucible is a historical drama, which deals with Puritan beliefs directly and in a serious matter. " The Devil and Tom Walker is a folk tale which teaches a lesson and uses stock characters. The idea …show more content…
The way Hawthorne chooses to tell the story is very important. He tells it in third person limited, through the eyes of the parishioners. In doing so we never find out the truth about the veil and it becomes a mystery to everyone around him. The main symbol in the story is the veil, which represents death and darkness. Also the veil symbolizes the secret of sin. At one point he even says, "If I hide my face for sorrow, there is cause enough, and if I cover it for secret of sin, what moral might not do the same." The veil basically ends his life, his love left him for it and many others feel uncomfortable around him with it on. The veil also is the antagonist of the story because it creates change among the parishioners, who are the protagonists. The veil is unknown to the town and even the reader, which brings up the point of the fear of the unknown and the nature of man. The story also presents the idea of isolation, Mr. Hooper is isolated because he is different that everyone else, similar to John Proctor in The