English 11 Literature #11 Mr. Rinka Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Mass. to Nathaniel Hathorne and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning. His

ancestors include John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch Trials. Nathaniel later added a "w" to make his name "Hawthorne". He entered Bowdoin College in 1821, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in 1824, and graduated in He anonymously published his first work, a novel titled Fanshawe, in

1828. Hawthorne published several short stories in various periodicals which he collected in 1837 as Twice-Told Tales. The next year, he became engaged to Sophia Peabody. He worked at a Custom House and joined Brook Farm, a transcendentalist community, before marrying Peabody in 1842.

The couple moved to The Old Manse in Concord, Mass., later moving to Salem, the Berkshires, then to The Wayside in Concord. The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850, followed by a succession of novels. A political appointment took Hawthorne and family to Europe before their return to The Wayside in

1860. Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864, leaving behind his wife and their three children. Much of Hawthorne's writing centers on New England, many works featuring moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His fiction works are considered part of the Romantic movement and, more

specifically, dark romanticism. His themes often center on the inherent evil and sin of humanity, and his works often have moral messages and deep psychological complexity. His published works include novels, short stories, and a biography of his friend Franklin Pierce.

“The Minister’s Black Veil” The Minister's Black Veil

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Analysis Like many of Hawthorne’s works, the setting of the story is an 18th century town in Puritan New England. This provides the backdrop for a psychological exploration of the themes of sin, repentance, and morality. Much of the story focuses

on the acrimonious reaction of the congregation to the seemingly benign veil. Hawthorne uses their reaction as a critique of the Puritan image of original sin, using the veil as a representation not of "secret sin" but the inherent sinful nature of all people. Hawthorne writes the story in an symbolic format, using a

teaching tone. The main theme proves to be revealed sin and underlying guilt. Rev. Mr. Hooper's method of preaching is to wear his sin on his face in a literal way. The townspeople grow uncomfortable with him because they start to become aware of their own sins. Hawthorne keeps the motive of the

veil unknown to the reader. The interpretation of the story rests on some moral explanation of the minister's symbolic self-veiling. The black veil is a symbol of secret sin and darkness of human nature. This could represent the secret sin that all men carry in their hearts, or it could be representative of Hooper's

specific sin, which some readers speculate to be adultery with Hooper as everyman bearing his lonely fate in order to demonstrate a tragic truth. In an alternative view, the black veil could represent the Puritan obsession with sin and sinfulness. Puritans held beliefs of predestination and that only "God's elect" will be

saved when the day of judgment comes. This weeding out process of finding the saved versus not saved was a large part of Puritan life. The reaction to the minister's veil is one of disgust and fear. We are given no clues in the story up to this point as to how or why the minister came to have the black veil over his face, it is

just there, and as far as we are told the minister is doing nothing different from his normal routine. The only difference is a simple veil covering his face and the congregation’s reaction. This is Hawthorne criticizing the overly judgmental nature of the Puritans’ belief of sin. For them sin was an inexcusable mistake.

“The Minister’s Black Veil” What is the effect of the “black veil” on the congregation? The veil presented a mystery to the people of the church that made them feel uncomfortable but also more thoughtful. They felt that

“The Minister’s Black Veil” Mr. Hooper’s sermon were more effective, but it could be that they listened more carefully in wonder of the mystery he presented.

“The Minister’s Black Veil” What is the concept of original sin? Original sin has its origin in the Biblical story of Adam and Eve and their fall in the Garden of Eden. Because of their disobedience to god they were marked with the sin

“The Minister’s Black Veil” of man which has been passed down to all men. So, it is believed al all men (humans) are born in this state of sin.

“The Minister’s Black Veil” What is Hawthorne’s purpose in writing this story? Since the presence of the veil remains a mystery to the reader, the story has the same effect on the reader as the event had on the

“The Minister’s Black Veil” congregation. Hawthorne most likely wanted the reader to stop and reflect on his/her own sinful nature and the need for repentance. One could say that the story is much like one of Rev. Mr. Hooper’s sermons.

“The Minister’s Black Veil” Is this story relevant today? One can see how many people who interpret the Bible literally would find great meaning in this story even with its 17 th century setting.

“The Minister’s Black Veil” However, for many other more modern Christians, the story would be metaphorical at best and possible outdated because many modern Christians believe in a more loving and forgiving God than did the Puritans.

“The Minister’s Black Veil” For people who are not of the Christian faith, this story would have very little meaning although the overarching idea of the imperfections of human nature would be understood by all.

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Discussion In a Socratic Seminar explore this topic: Is man by nature inclined to do good or evil? Left completely free of laws and rules, would people tend to do good things or bad things?

Additional Assignment #1 Read “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Birthmark

Additional Assignment #2 Read Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem “The Raven” and the analysis of it. The Raven Poem The Raven

English 11 Literature #11 Mr. Rinka Nathaniel Hawthorne