Beneath the Black Veil: The Ambiguities of the Veiled Critique in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil”

Beneath the Black Veil: The Ambiguities of the Veiled Critique in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil”

This paper explores the multi-layered implications of Mr. Hooper’s self-veiling, unpacking the critiques it poses to New England society and to a Puritan clergyman devoted to dogmatic orthodoxy in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short fiction, “The Minister’s Black Veil.” The minister can be seen as a Puritan idealist who poses a pointed critique of a Christian society blind to man’s innate sin, if his self-veiling is interpreted as a bold and public admission of man’s sinfulness. The pastor, however, believes that man is fundamentally incapable of self-redemption due to his inborn sinfulness and, thus, the veil also implies his tendency towards moral absolutism. As Mr. Hooper doggedly and self-righteously chases after an ideal, the veil, then, symbolizes his supreme arrogance. While the pastor’s dogmatic fundamentalism pushes his idealism towards religious paranoia, the veil also hints at Mr. Hooper’s possible personal transgressions. Accordingly, Pastor Hooper’s veil, emblematic of both concealed sin and immense pride, serves as a unifying lynchpin for the plot.