3  The Doctrine of Original Sin in The Minister’s Black Veil

At the beginning of The Minister’s Black Veil, Hawthorne writes:

Another clergyman in New England…… made himself remarkable by the same eccentricity that is here related of the Reverend Mr. Hooper. In his case, however, the symbol had a different import. In early life he had accidentally killed a beloved friend…… (Hawthorne, Nathaniel , 2003)

It seems that these words are irrelevant to the plot of the story, but it is quite helpful to the comprehension of the story. Hawthorne wants to remind people that the reason for Mr. Hooper’s wearing a black veil is not a crime but something has profound meaning. 

Hawthorne is very interested in the theme of Original Sin. All his life, he seems to be haunted by his sense of sin and evil. In the other short story The Young Goodman Hawthorne wrote that the people, including the serious governor , the pious minister, the virgin girl, the upper-class women, the villains and the witches, meet the devil secretly in the wood, which symbolizes people’s hidden sin. Similarly, the black veil in The Minister’s Black Veil plays the same rule. But here, it is the respectable minister who shows this sin, not an ordinary person. Undoubtedly, this brings an ironic meaning to this work.

There’s such a dialog in the story:

"How strange," said a lady, "that a simple black veil, such as any woman might wear on her bonnet, should become such a terrible thing on Mr. Hooper's face!" (Hawthorne, Nathaniel , 2003)

It is obvious that it is not the black veil but an effect made by the black veil that frightens the people. The effect is that the black veil lets the people see the other sides of themselves. The black veil is like a mirror reflecting the people’s dark sides which have evil faces. This makes people feel afraid, so they deliberately avoid meeting Mr. Hooper and reject him. All of these are because that they don’t want to expose their hidden sin. From another aspect, the color of the veil, black, also symbolizes sin. Black is mysterious and evil and is like the dark secret hidden in the people’s heart. Seeing the color black, one will always think of the word sin.来~自^吹冰论+文.网www.chuibin.com/

In the story Mr. Hooper attend a wedding and a funeral in the same day. Wedding and funeral are two important milestone in life. The black veil shows different effects in these two occasions and this indicates Hawthorne’s Puritanism idea that everyone has sin and sin is everywhere. For the funeral, Mr. Hooper’s black veil is appropriate. It implies that people always realize their sin when they face death. Edgar Allen Poe believed that the minister and the dead girl were linked in some specific crime---for the minister is afraid to be seen by the girl and the girl’s corpse slightly shuddered. This guess has no proof. There must have other explanations for these incidents. The dialog between the two people after the funeral is worth weigh. Both of them feel that the girl and Mr. Hooper are hand in hand behind the black veil. It seems that the girl realizes her sins and wears the black veil as well.

The black veil symbolizes the hidden sin. For Mr. Hooper, everyone has sin. Just like what he says on his deathbed: “I look around me, and, lo! On every visage a Black Veil” People always have the proneness to hide their sins. However, Mr. Hooper who clearly realizes human sin and shows them to others is suffering from great pains. He is brave. He has the courage to wear the black veil, enduring the loneliness, to remind people of their sins.