LITR 4232: American Renaissance

University of Houston-Clear Lake, spring 2002

Student Presentation Summary

“The Minister’s Black Veil”

- By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Reader: Robin P. Stone

Recorder: Regina Richardson

19 March 2002

I plan to relate Hawthorne’s short story The Minister’s Black Veil to objective 2: the genre of romance and the related style of the gothic via the play of light and dark. I also plant to relate the story to objective 3: literature as a basis for discussing the representative problems and subjects of American culture such as the individual and the community through the main character’s actions

My Questions are:

Do you think the same situation – of a calm, rational, respected member of society suddenly appearing in a black veil—would have the same effect today a it did then?

            Why do you think Hooper kept smiling all the time?

            Do you think the veil was inappropriate at certain times—such as the wedding?

 There were no previous assignments related to this story on the Web. So this is a solo.

 For Objective 3, The interplay between the individual and the community is the effect that the wearing of the veil has on the congregation. The entire community hates the veil and in public, or with anyone, they wish he would remove it or at least tell them why he was wearing it.

 As seen on page 2196, the 2nd dialogue:

 ``I don't like it,'' muttered an old woman, as she hobbled into the meeting-house. ``He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face.''

 Again on page 2197 just under the long paragraph:

 ``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!''

``Something must surely be amiss with Mr. Hooper's intellects,'' observed her husband, the physician of the village. ``But the strangest part of the affair is the effect of this vagary, even on a sober-minded man like myself. The black veil, though it covers only our pastor's face, throws its influence over his whole person, and makes him ghostlike from head to foot. Do you not feel it so?''

``Truly do I,'' replied the lady;

 The parishioners spoke of him being mad, mentally ill, having committed an unpardonable sin, or some other dreadful thing having happened to him amongst themselves, but on a personal level, or when alone, they felt drawn to the veil, and maybe even some sort of affinity with Hooper.

 On page 2201/2202 the last paragraph, over to the next page:

 Among all its bad influences, the black veil had the one desirable effect, of making its wearer a very efficient clergyman. By the aid of his mysterious emblem -- for there was no other apparent cause -- he became a man of awful power over souls that were in agony for sin. His converts always regarded him with a dread peculiar to themselves, affirming, though but figuratively, that, before he brought them to celestial light, they had been with him behind the black veil. Its gloom, indeed, enabled him to sympathize with all dark affections. Dying sinners cried aloud for Mr. Hooper, and would not yield their breath till he appeared… and farther down…strangers came long distances to attend service at his church, with the mere idle purpose of gazing at his figure, and in the next paragraph, he was …shunned in their health and joy, but ever summoned to their aid in mortal anguish.

 He served many years without being replaced, he was even appointed to preach the election sermon, and he made rank of Father in the Church. These things would not have occurred, or Hooper would have been replaced, if they had not been drawn to the veil in some way.

 So my question is: Do you think the same situation of a calm, rational, respected member of society appearing in a black veil today would have the same affect today that it did then?

 Reani:               If you wore a veil, I’d think you were kooky.

 Sheri:                The veil brings attention to him. The people look at him closely to understand what is going on with him.

 Candy:             I can picture this at my church. If our preacher came in the church with a veil and wore a veil all the time, it would probably wig the congregation out like it did in the story: Especially, if he was doing a wedding.

 Reani:               I think people would be more up front today about why they are wearing a veil. At one point, everybody went in to talk to him, but they all stood around. Nobody said anything because they did not know what to say. People today would be up front and say “what’s up.”

 Dr. White:        One distinction that might be made, at that time, he would have been a state supported minister. So, he does not depend on the offering plate. Ministers today are parishioner supported.

 Candy:             If it happened in my church, I would go ask why.

 

The discussion led to the fact that since it was a religious situation, the reason why it would not have the same effect today would be important which led, in part, to Objective 2.

 For Objective 2, the gothic is shown through Hawthorne’s style. He writes of moral issues of light and dark; sin and salvation. The entire story is about a minister and his battle of sin vs. salvation.

 

On page 2171 of the introduction, 2nd column,  9th line down it states:

 

The minister’s black veil is a historically grounded parable about the guilt we hide from one another and about the dangers of self-absorption. 

 

This guilt and the self-absorption are allusions of sin, and the danger spoken of is the danger of sin, which is loss of salvation. The entire story is a state of mind: The state of mind of the author as well as the characters. The mind becomes a setting in Hawthorne’s work. The mind is where the mystery and the transformation takes place. 

On page 2201 2nd paragraph, at the bottom of the paragraph it states:

 

He walked continually in its shadow, groping darkly within his own soul, or gazing through a medium that saddened the whole world…

 

The eyes are the windows to the soul and by covering his eyes; he is keeping others from seeing his soul—perhaps hiding something.

 

In the next paragraph down on the same page, page 2201, 3rd sentence it states:

 

…he became a man of awful power over souls that were in agony for sin. His converts always regarded him with a dread peculiar to themselves, affirming…that, before he brought them to celestial light, they had been with him behind the black veil...Dying sinners cried aloud for Mr. Hooper, and would not yield their breath till he appeared; though ever, as he stooped to whisper consolation, they shuddered at the veiled face so near their own.

By wearing the veil, the parishioners were unnerved that he could see them—even into their souls and their sins, through their eyes—yet they could not see his. This plays even more on the sin/salvation issue—perhaps this even set up a feeling that he had no sin when they were face to face with him, even though rumors abounded otherwise. This interaction and reaction takes place in the mind, not in the physical.

Hawthorne also uses gothic shading of light and dark.

On page 2196, at the top of the page, in the 5th line down, it reads:

Mr. Hooper had on a black veil. On a nearer view it seemed to consist of two folds of crape, which entirely concealed his features, except the mouth and chin, but probably did not intercept his sight, further than to give a darkened aspect to all living and inanimate things.

The veil is black, and the suggestion that it PROBABLY did not intercept his sight alludes to darkened or dimmed vision, and the phrase darkened aspect to all living and inanimate things enforces it. The story starts off light and pleasant—the happy, bright Sunday morning… then turns dark with the sight of the parson. And even the parson’s vision is darkened.

On page 2199, the last line of that first partial paragraph, the gothic is shown again:

…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. His frame shuddered, his lips grew white, he spilt the untasted wine upon the carpet, and rushed forth into the darkness. For the Earth, too, had on her Black Veil.

The horror with which it overwhelmed all others is dark…almost monstrous. The darkness is referred to as the earth’s black veil—as if night, in its darkness, was a sin of its own, or perhaps covering a sin—maybe that is why he ran into the darkness?

The gothic is also shown by the interplay between light and darkness in many other places. The words glimmer or glimmering are used 5 times in the story—all in reference to Mr. Hooper’s smile.

On page 2197, in the last sentence of the 1st full paragraph:

A sad smile gleamed faintly from beneath the black veil, and flickered about his mouth, glimmering as he disappeared.

On page 2199 2nd full paragraph, just over halfway down:

The glimmering of a melancholy smile…

On page 2200, 2nd paragraph:

Mr. Hooper’s smile glimmered faintly.

On the same page, the 9th full paragraph, last sentence:

That same sad smile, which always appeared like a faint glimmering of light…

Again, on page 2203, 9th paragraph, last sentence:

…the faint, sad smile, so often there, now seemed to glimmer from its obscurity, and linger on Father Hooper's lips.

This reference to the glimmer of Mr. Hooper’s smile is a play on light and dark. The darkness the veil embodies vs. the light of the smile that plays on his lips with each reference or thought of it.

 There are many other references relating to the gothic throughout the story: The secret is the sin that is hidden; the mystery is the reason why Mr. Hooper is wearing the veil, and the gothic setting is the customary walk to graveyard and the faces behind the grave-stones. The setting moves in this story to wherever Mr. Hooper is.

My next question is: Why do you think Hooper kept smiling all the time? And do you think the veil was inappropriate at certain times like the wedding?

Elizabeth:          Maybe it is a simple thing. The people thought he had something to hide and so they followed him

Dr. White:        Where does the smile enter recognition? I think it’s kind of creepy. I guess it is like sympathy. There is the suggestion of something darker that is almost like a coyness on his part.

Robin:              It’s like one of my other professor’s said, “the truth transcends constantly.” It constantly changes and when you think you’ve got a handle on it, another presence comes in.

Dr. White:        It’s all of those things and more than the sum of the parts. Like the parishioners are all obsessed over what it is and each of them has a different idea, but which one is the truth? Well it’s like the truth is elusive, and saying the truth is elusive does not mean it does not exist. It means like you said, “it’s always transcending.” With the smile you get the veil itself as a symbol--you constantly have to interpret it and make sense of it.

Reani:               It’s almost like the knowledge he has of everyone else’s sins. Especially on page 2200: “There is an hour to come when all of us will cast aside our veils…” So, it’s like they may not know what I’ve done, but I know what I’ve done. Then page 2196, “Yet perhaps pale-faced congregation was as fearful a sight to the minister, as his black veil to them.” He was seeing them through the same thing they were seeing him.

Dr. White:        So his smile becomes a smile of recognition.

Sheri:                I think it’s also a sign of things to come. His smile is recognition that they will all take their veils off. He’s gonna take his veil off and everybody’s gonna take their veils off and it’s gonna be good for all. It’s not all dark.

Dr. White:        Where we’re beyond the veil. It’s supposed to be a striking moment.

Terri:                When I got to the wedding scene, and he didn’t take the veil off, I knew he was committed. If he’s not going to take it off at the wedding, he’s really serious. I thought he was teaching the congregation a lesson, but he never took off the veil, which made it more mysterious.

Reani:               The wedding is supposed to be a happy occasion, but when he looks at himself in the glass at the wedding...

Dr White:         Yes, they are the handsomest couple in the village. There’s a story that’s not in our anthology that has a real similar moment, “The Maypole of Merrimount” by Hawthorne has a wedding in it that is similar and dark.

Dr. White:        Mystery is a part of religion too. It’s like the holy trinity three in one and one in three. You know it can’t make sense rationally. It has to remain a mystery. Hawthorne has developed these kinds of spiritual and theological ways.

Diane:               I saw the veil as everyone wears a veil. There is a face you show the world, but that’s not always the real deal. Then there’s your true self…the person that you are. I think that’s the meaning of the veil and not seeing his face. He’s covering his face to hide something like we all hide at times. He’s still the same person but because of the veil, they run away from him and fear him.

Dr. White:        Diane is right on the money. I buy what you’re saying about all of us wear a mask. It gets uncomfortable and it gets exposed in some way.