Discussion Topic
Emotions evoked by Mr. Hooper in "The Minister's Black Veil."
Summary:
In "The Minister's Black Veil," Mr. Hooper evokes emotions of fear, curiosity, and discomfort among his congregation. His black veil symbolizes hidden sins and mysteries, causing unease and speculation. The veil’s presence isolates him, leading to a mix of sympathy and alienation from those around him.
What new emotions does Mr. Hooper evoke in his congregation in "The Minister's Black Veil"?
The black veil that Hooper wears definitely affects the emotions of his congregation and the people that he interacts with. If I had to pick a single emotion that seems to stand out more than anything else, I would say that the veil evokes dread and/or fear more than any other emotion, and readers are told about this emotion on several occasions.
Did he seek to hide it from the dread Being whom he was addressing? Such was the effect of this simple piece of crape, that more than one woman of delicate nerves was forced to leave the meeting-house. Yet perhaps the pale-faced congregation was almost as fearful a sight to the minister, as his black veil to them. . . . There was a feeling of dread, neither plainly confessed nor carefully concealed, which caused each to shift the responsibility upon another . . . His converts always...
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regarded him with a dread peculiar to themselves . . .
The dread that the congregation members feel is closely linked with the idea of hidden sin. The veil is symbolic of mankind's hidden sin from God, and Hooper's first sermon while wearing the veil is focused on the idea of hidden sin. That topic, in conjunction with the veil, causes the members of the congregation to feel as if Hooper now has the ability to look at each of them and see his or her secret sin.
Each member of the congregation, the most innocent girl, and the man of hardened breast, felt as if the preacher had crept upon them, behind his awful veil, and discovered their hoarded iniquity of deed or thought.
What emotions does Mr. Hooper from "The Minister's Black Veil" evoke?
Mr. Hooper evokes fear in the other characters due to his black veil. The veil conceals most of his face, with the exception of his mouth and chin. Unable to see his eyes, it is hard for the others to read his facial expression. Even more significantly, the veil fills the laypeople with dread. "Delicate" women are described as having to leave the service when he first wears it, and some of the men suggest that the parson is going mad. They have no clue why he chooses to wear the veil, and this mystery initially only increases its eeriness.
Hooper's refusal to remove the veil further alienates him from the frightened community, including his own fiancée. Through the reaction of the people to Hooper and his black veil, Hawthorne is suggesting that they fear more than just not being able to see their minister's eyes—they might subconsciously fear what the veil symbolically represents. Hooper gives a sermon on what he terms "secret sin," which is a wrongdoing so heinous that the individual tries hiding it from themselves, others, and even God. Hooper insists that every person harbors such a secret. So, the veil evokes fear and anxiety in others because of its gloomy appearance and because of what it might remind them about themselves—their own secret sins.