1. 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

2. 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.

3. 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.

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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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