The Minister's Black Veil

Nathaniel Hawthorne stories are known to contain elements of mystery and uncertainty that is why his story “the Minster’s Black veil” is best analysed in terms of reader response. Hawthorne chose to not have any direct explanation for the actions of his characters giving it to the readers to interpret the way they wish even if he did have a certain message. The fact that there is no direct and final conclusion to the reason behind the minister’s decision to wear the black veil has caused critics to debate this story through the centuries, resulting in many different theories. Some have believed that Hooper actually committed a great sin and have debated on what he could have done that was so horrible that he resorted to something as extreme, as wearing this black veil. Others believed that the focus of the story is not on what caused the minister to wear the black veil, but more on the effect the veil has on the minister and the people around him. Some believed that the story was meant to be vague; critics should not be trying to find only one true meaning or message in this story. There are some critics that dislike the story because of its indirect message which is hard to understand, but most have praised this as one of Hawthorn’s great works. The story begins with the minister appearing before his congregation on a Sunday morning, this is when he is first seen with the black veil, it covers most of his face except the mouth and chin. The town’s people immediately start gossiping, some say that the reverend has gone mad; others believe that he is hiding a shameful sin. Some readers may believe that the town’s people were right and that the minister was hiding something. The veil covers his eyes; they say that the eyes are a window to the soul so the fact that he is covering them may suggest that he really did comment a sinful act and is trying to hide his shame from the world.