Nathaniel Hawthorne Hawthorne was born on July 4th, 1804 in Salem, Mass. and died on May 18, 1864 in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Hawthorne’s connection to Salem haunted him; therefore, he added the ‘w’ to his name to disassociate himself with the witch trials. His great-grandfather John Hathorne was the chief-interrogator of the “Salem Witches.” He wrote several successful short stories which were collected in Twice-Told Tales (1837). Unable to support his family by writing, in 1846 Hawthorne accepted a political appointment to the Salem Custom House as Surveyor of the Port . -Married Sophia Peabody after a 5 year engagement -Terminated from political position to then leave Salem altogether; “the abominable city”; nothing remained for him there

Nathaniel Hawthorne His themes often center on the inherent evil and sin of humanity, and his works often have moral messages and deep psychological complexity. Some published works: The Scarlet Letter, Twice-Told Tales, The House of the Seven Gables, The Mable Faun, Our Old Home, and children’s books A Wonder Book, and Tanglewood Tales. Known as a Dark Romantic works are notably less optimistic than Transcendental texts about mankind, nature, and divinity. The natural world is dark, decaying, and mysterious; when it does reveal truth to man, its revelations are evil and hellish.

The Minister’s Black Veil Set in the time of his Puritan ancestors characterized by “gloom and piety.” PARABLE— A short, usually simple story, based on events from ordinary life from which a moral lesson is drawn.** THEME— a main idea or an underlying meaning Even the most innocent may prove to be guilty– a character’s sense of guilt caused by Puritanical values/heritage SYMBOL— a person, a place, a thing, or an event that has meaning in itself and also stands for something beyond itself Ex: The eagle is a symbol of bravery and courage. Ex: The tall tree that is rotted to the core from “The Devil and Tom Walker” is a symbol for false appearances and hypocrisy.

Read “The Minister’s Black Veil” on page 239 Read “The Minister’s Black Veil” on page 239. Answer the questions while reading.

Reaction/Opinion of Veil With one other person, fill in this chart on your own sheet of paper. Find TWO reactions for each person/group of people (WITH A QUOTE SHOWING EACH), and explain what the veil represents for that person/group of people. Character Reaction/Opinion of Veil (Evidence in Story) Symbolism of Veil Mr. Hooper   Elizabeth Townspeople

Reaction/Opinion of Veil Character Reaction/Opinion of Veil (Evidence in Story) Symbolism of Veil Mr. Hooper REVEREND Obsessed with wearing it/attached—”still veiled they laid him in his coffin” (248) “do not desert me, though this veil must be between us here on earth” (245) Pained but adament of wearing for God—”The dismal shade must separate me from the world” (244) Veil = secret sin of himself and others Veil = separation from world; wall between him and evil world Elizabeth Rejected by Mr. Hooper—”Lift the veil but once and look me in the face” (243) Confused by the veil—”Your words are a mystery too” (244) veil = rejection Veil = wall between them Veil = Hooper’s sin and shame

Townspeople They don’t like it; it makes them feel badly about themselves—”he cannot walk the streets with any piece of mind…” Shocked and not understanding—”the people trembled, though they but darly understood him” (243) Veil = death or sin or fear