The+Minister's+Black+Veil

=__[|The Minister's Black Veil]__= A **Puritan** of 16th and 17th century England was any person seeking "purity" of worship and doctrine, especially the parties that rejected the Laudian reform of the Church of England.

Author's Purpose:
Perhaps the author's purpose in writing this short story was to explain the unwillingness of the Puritans to accept. When a man starts to wear a black veil, everyone starts to worry and get scarred as to what might come from it. They never stop and think that this black veil might be representing something else to the man. Maybe he is in mourning for a recent death of a relative or loved one to him. Just because the veil is black does not make it evil or bad, it is to be interpreted however the person wring it wants to. The Puritans can not accept the man wearing the black veil, just because he is different. Also, by using the black veil to hide his face, he could be hiding a secret sin that he has committed. By wearing this veil, he shows all of the others that they too are hiding a secret sin.

Techniques:

 * Symbolism-** The black viel symbolizes all of the Puritan superstitions. It represents all the evil and troubles in the world. To Puritans it was seen as a symbol of the devil. It was also seen as all that is unknown in the world; a mystery to the people.


 * Rhetorical Question-** Hawthorne uses this to further emphasis his point. In the story he wants to show Hooper as a man who can not bear to go without the viel, "Could Mr. Hooper be fearful of her glance, that he so hastily caught back the black veil?" In this quote it shows that he is afraid that even a dead person will see his face.


 * Personification-** This is another technique used to give the viel human-like qualities. It makes the viel almost have a personality which strengthens the mystery and fear of the veil, "It shook with his measured breath, as he gave out the psalm; it threw its obscurity between him and the holy page" (pg. 338). The viel obviously could not physically throw something, but it enriches Hawthornes language.


 * Irony**- This technique is shown throughout this short story by the man wearing the black veil. It is ironic how people think that because he is wearing a veil that he has something to hide, and he does. Also, during the short story, it seems to building up to a big revealing of his secret, but instead nothing is ever revealed, and his secret will stay a secret forever.

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