Essay Comparing The Scarlet Letter And The Minister's Black Veil
Throughout the year’s society`s have developed their own standard way of thinking creating traditional norms. Norms are conventional and are expected to be fulfilled by the individuals in that society. If a norm were to be violated, it would bring severe consequences to those individuals. In The Scarlet Letter and The Minister`s Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne both take place during the puritan timeframe in which the biggest norm violation would be the act of committing a sin causing those who violate these norms to suffer severe consequences. In The Scarlet Letter Hester and Dimmesdale commit adultery and as a result, both suffer for their transgressions in different ways. Moreover, in The Ministers Black Veil Minister Hopper wears a black veil to accept his
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Covering up one`s entire face is criticized in the Puritan society because it suggests that one is ashamed, has committed a sin or is crazy. Puritans establish these norms as a way of acknowledging that they are pure but because Hopper wears a veil he is no longer seen as pure but is looked as someone who has gone against puritan norms. Hooper is a minister who decides to wear a black veil because he wants everyone to realize that they all have secret sins like himself, but instead, the community views the veil as a “horrible black veil …. portend[ing] nothing but evil” (413). This suggests that by violating the norm and covering up one`s face with a black veil it suggests that the devil has influenced an individual to commit a sin. Puritans view the color black as death, which symbolizes the devil which is also why they view wearing a black veil as sinful and against puritan norms. Wearing a black veil would then symbolize sin and bring consequences to that individual in this case
Covering up one`s entire face is criticized in the Puritan society because it suggests that one is ashamed, has committed a sin or is crazy. Puritans establish these norms as a way of acknowledging that they are pure but because Hopper wears a veil he is no longer seen as pure but is looked as someone who has gone against puritan norms. Hooper is a minister who decides to wear a black veil because he wants everyone to realize that they all have secret sins like himself, but instead, the community views the veil as a “horrible black veil …. portend[ing] nothing but evil” (413). This suggests that by violating the norm and covering up one`s face with a black veil it suggests that the devil has influenced an individual to commit a sin. Puritans view the color black as death, which symbolizes the devil which is also why they view wearing a black veil as sinful and against puritan norms. Wearing a black veil would then symbolize sin and bring consequences to that individual in this case