“The Minister’s Black Veil” explores the themes of sin, guilt, secrecy, and isolation, aspects of the human condition that Transcendentalism tends to ignore or forget.
The Ministers Black Veil Symbolism - Nathaniel Hawthorne
Storyboard Text
THE BLACK VEIL
EXAMPLE
The black veil covers almost all of Mr. Hooper's face. People fear the veil and what it means. The veil is a symbol of the sin that separates people from God and each other. Every person sins and is separated from perfection by the guilt and secrecy of their veiled sins. Hooper’s veil gave the Puritans a scapegoat to fear, rather than deal with their own inherent sinful natures.