Lurking Guilt And Shame In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Black Veil

Lurking guilt and shame, if not acknowledged and owned up to, can consume you. “‘I wonder he is not afraid to be alone with himself!’” (Hawthorne). The people that attended Reverend Hooper’s church were concerned, frightened, and intrigued about why he was suddenly wearing a black veil to cover his face. What was speculated about him not wanting to be alone with himself is true because he was getting caught up in his own guilt that he felt he needed to hide it from everyone in an attempt to hide it from himself. “At that instant, catching a glimpse of his figure in the looking-glass, the black veil involved his own spirit in the horror with which it overwhelmed all others” (Hawthorne). At the wedding, Reverend Hooper finally saw himself in the mirror and, for the first time, saw how caught up in his guilt and shame he was, and how by not owning
Some people’s are larger and more prominent than others, but one wants to own up to their inner evils because that’s human nature. Everyone wants to be seen as an innocent person, not someone who has all this inner evil or sin hidden inside them. I believe that our current society has a lot of impact on that. No one has the courage to be their true selves anymore because they feel like they have too much pressure from society and social media to be a perfect, model being. Sadly, there are many people who try to be true to themselves and are bullied or looked down upon because of it , yet on the other side of the spectrum, there are people who hide the real them for so long that they get so caught up in it and can never act like who they truly are on the inside anymore. Yes, everyone has their own hidden secrets, but to be true to themselves and own up to it, they need to accept it in their own hearts and no longer hide behind their own black