The Minister's Black Veil

When some one is to read Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Minister's Black Veil, it is easy for them to tell how much it relates to the writing style of Dark Romanticism. One very obvious statement that can be said about the story is the whole thing is shrouded in darkness and death. Within the story we are told of how the black veil had such an effect on people. The darkness it said would fill people's souls with guiltiness whether or not they had done anything wrong. It then says, "Once, during Governor Belcher's administration, Mr. Hooper was appointed to preach the election sermon. Covered with his black veil, he stood before the chief magistrate, the council, and the representatives, and wrought so deep an impression, that the legislative measures of that year were characterized by all the gloom and piety of our earliest ancestral sway" (Hawthorne). This whole statement is just depressing. He was saying that because of the black veil, the term of the governor, which I assume was four years because that is what it normally is, was characterized by all of the suffering all of our ancestors have been through. So thinking about that there are plagues, wars, feuds, starving, droughts, all the times that are tough to get through and all of the suffering that people went through were like the governor's term. That is a depressing term of four years. So darkness is quite a large characteristic of Dark Romanticism and can be seen quite frequently within Hawthorne's The Minister's Black Veil.

Another thing that is easily noticed is the effect of the black veil of which Mr. Hopper wears has on the people around him. Here is a good example from the story, "From that time no attempts were made to remove Mr. Hopper's black veil, or, by a direct appeal, to discover the secret which it was supposed to hide. By persons who claimed a superiority to popular prejudice, it was reckoned merely an eccentric whim, such as often mingles with the sober actions of men otherwise rational, and tinges them all with its own semblance of insanity. But with multitude, good Mr. Hooper was irreparably a bugbear. He could not walk the street with any peace of mind, so conscious was he that the gentle and timid would turn aside to avoid him, and that others would make it a point of hardihood to throw themselves in his way.....It grieved him, to the very depth of his kind heart, to observe how the children fled from his approach, breaking up their merriest sports, while his melancholy figure was yet afar off" (Hawthorne). To read about how the people took in the whole situation is shocking. To think that the mere putting of dark cloth over someone's face has such an effect on every one around him, and I mean every one around him. His wife to be even left him because of the dark cloth over his face. You would never think it would have a huge effect on people yet every body around him would make sure to avoid him at all costs. Mr. Hopper lost everything just to keep the veil on his face because it was a symbol he said, yet no one respected that and they merely criticized him for it. It is sad to think about but I suppose that is what Hawthorne intended for his readers to see.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “The Minister's Black Veil.” In American Literature. Willhelm, Jeffory, comp. McGraw Hill. Columbus, 2009. Print.