The Minister’s Black Veil – Flashcards

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Rev. Mr. Hooper, a clergy member or parson

Neat dresser, engaged, 30 years, kind, good

Goodman(Mr.) Gray maintanance of the church

It had a gloomy, melancholy effect and made everyone feel as if Rev. Cooper was hiding a dark secret.

symbol of sorrow for sin in general, isolation, and secret sin

a funeral is symbolized as black and sorrow

people hoped Rev would be joyful. but as he gave the toast, he droped the wine because he saw a reflection of himself in the mirror and ran out into the darkness.

They sent deputies of the church to talk to Rev. but they never asked him to remove the veil and they didn't want to talk to him with the veil in front of his face...they all simply stared.

Elizabeth, his plighted wife, asked directly and she left him since he would not remove the veil. He pleaded for her to stay with him.

Elizabeth said that there were rumors of secret sin in his life and he needed to put the rumors to an end because it would destroy hsi ministry.

It had a powerful effect on others, helping NEW CONVERTS to see the gravity of their sin and want to be more pure. People visited the chruch from afar.

Children would flee when they saw him coming, and people felt fearful and distant in his presence.

weekly morning service and sermon

secret sin and dark mystery that we all hide from others and even God sometimes.

some whispered in groups, some meditated at home, some laughed...all were CONFUSED

The hearers were probably more convicted and realized they need to take our sin more seriously and also that we are all sinners.

We all have sin hovering over us, seperating us until we are with God after we leave the earth and become pure.

Secrets play a big role in this story. The minister's veil symbolizes the secret sin that he is hiding from everyone, and that is to show that everyone else is hiding their sin as well.

No, the town does not like the change in the minister. They think he has turned himself into something awful and scary just by wearing a black veil over his face.

The author says, "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. With this gloomy shade before him.."

Mr. Hooper's first sermon is important because he talks about how his black veil is hiding his sin like everyone else is hiding their sin.

She is Hooper's girlfriend/fiancee. She leaves him when he won't take off the veil as she requested.

The church member's do not like the veil. They think it is strange and scary, and they think something is wrong with Mr. Hooper.

This basically sums up the short story because it shows her judging Mr. Hooper for wearing the veil. She thinks it is strange even though she has no idea why he is wearing it. The story is mainly about people judging someone before they know why that person does what they do.

A wedding and a funeral

The veil affects the wedding in a gloomy way. The author said it could bring nothing but evil upon the wedding. He said, "But the bride's cold fingers quivered in the tremulous hand of the bridegroom, and her deathlike paleness caused a whisper that the maiden who had been buried a few hours before was come from her grave to be married."

She left him because he wouldn't take the veil off when she asked him to.

He was startled because he realized how scary he looked, and he realized why everyone else looked at him differently.

The color black represents evil and sin.

She says that it seems as if Rev. Hooper and the dead girl were walking hand in hand at the funeral.

in a small Puritan town in Milford, Connecticut based in the 1600s.

outward appearance

darkness

wickedness

deliberately attracting notice

wise; keenly perceptive

signify

thinking deeply or seriously

strong dislik

believability

determined