Student Question
What occurs at the funeral when Mr. Hooper arrives in The Minister's Black Veil?
Quick answer:
At the funeral, Mr. Hooper's black veil appears appropriate, symbolizing the mysteries of death and mourning. When he leans over the deceased woman, the veil shifts, momentarily revealing his face, which he quickly covers, suggesting his fear of his sins being exposed. His prayer further emphasizes the veil's symbolism, urging people to be ready for the moment when their hidden sins are revealed. Despite his message, the congregation avoids confronting the truth about their own sinfulness.
For the first time since Mr. Hooper began to wear the veil, it now seemed "an appropriate emblem." Black is often associated with death and mourning, and we even think of a veil as separating the mysteries of death from life; those mysteries are so close to us and yet concealed from our view. Thus, the black veil doesn't seem entirely out of place at the funeral.
Then, as Mr. Hooper leans over the young woman who has passed, the veil shifts position and, if she had not been dead, the deceased would have been able to see his face. At once, he snatches the veil back. He will later tell Elizabeth, his fiancee, that, in the "'hereafter there shall be no veil over [his] face, not darkness between [their] souls! it is but a mortal veil -- it is not for eternity!'" This helps us to understand that,...
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in death, there is no need for the veil because there is no longer any need to hide one's secret sinful nature; in death, everything is revealed and we are judged only by the "Omniscient," not each other. When Mr. Hooper catches back his veil, it seems as though he fears that this dead maiden will be able to read his secret sins now. It is quite a superstitious thought, ironic for a member of the clergy.
In Mr. Hooper's prayer for the soul of the deceased, he again reveals to his hearers the meaning of the veil: "The people trembled, though they but darkly understood him when he prayed that they, and himself, and all of mortal race, might be ready, as he trusted this young maiden had been, for the dreadful hour that should snatch the veil from their faces." They only darkly understand because they do not want to comprehend his meaning. No one ever asks the minister about the veil directly because they do not want to hear the answer. We each prefer, according to Mr. Hooper (and Hawthorne), to forget the truth of our own sinfulness and hide it from ourselves as well as everyone else, and so it seems that -- even at this funeral -- his listeners deliberately fail to acknowledge Mr. Hooper's discovery of the truth.