In our reading of the short story
“The Minister’s Black Veil,” our main intention is to analyse the text by
drawing parallels between the narrative and the features of
Anti-Transcendentalism.
Being a descendant of Puritans for
generations, and being aware of his family’s involvement in the Salem Witch
Trials, Hawthorne reflected his understanding of the world in his writings. By
analysing his language and his use of rhetorical devices and symbolism, he is
now regarded as one of the most important Dark-Romantic writers who represents
their philosophy of Anti-Transcendentalism. In order to understand the
discussion more in depth, a comparison between the “The Minister’s Black Veil”
and the fundamental texts of Transcendentalism will be made.
According to the Calvinist
heritage of the Puritans, people are “prone to sin,” their perception of the
world is “less optimistic” and “the natural world is dark”. These ideas, for
some 19th-century American writers, found their expression in the
vein Dark Romanticism, which characterizes this short story. In contrast to
transcendentalism which offers a belief that all people are capable of thinking
and selecting the correct option, in this short story; the protagonist, Mr. Hooper
thinks that people are unable to realise their own sins. In this sense, he
holds the ideas opposed to transcendentalists; and thus tries to guide people
in their spiritual journey by wearing a black veil on his face. Although Mr.
Hooper is trying to give a moral lesson, and trying to be a mirror for the
society, from the very first moment, people are judging him as they eventually
believe that Mr. Hooper has a “secret sin”.
Unlike Walden, for example, where there is a huge emphasis on the morning
phase and light; in this short story, the dark tone is not only limited to the
representations, but it is also visible throughout the whole story. First of
all, his veil is ‘black’, and during the narrative “every moment [is] more
darkly than before.” (p.2220) Even in the end of the story, we are not
explicitly told about the reasons for the black veil. Furthermore, with the
reactions Mr. Hooper gets from his community, he becomes isolated; and
eventually becomes “The Dark Man.”(p.2224)
In contrast to Transcendentalism where
each day is a new day, and in which we are encouraged to be active; in this
text, the sameness of the days is emphasized. The sexton, on every single
Sunday, “[pulls] lustily at the bell rope” “in the porch of Milford meeting
house,” and everyone knows that Mr. Hooper will appear after hearing the bell (p.2216).
Moreover, Mr. Hooper is described with similar expressions; as always walking
“at a slow and quiet pace” and having a “sad smile” (p.2217,2218,2224). Mr.
Hooper’s “[un]energetic” movement can also be compared with the need to be
active in life, as represented by transcendentalists (p.2217). (“Renew thyself
completely each day” Walden, p.2111). Therefore, The Minister’s Black Veil” carries
the features of Dark- Romantics and can be an example to understand the
Puritans’ antagonism in relation to the ideals of Transcendentalism.
Bibliography;
Carnochan, W. B. “‘The
Minister's Black Veil’: Symbol, Meaning, and the Context of Hawthorne's Art.”
Nineteenth-Century Fiction, vol. 24, no. 2, 1969, pp. 182–192. Jstor.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel “The
Minister’s Black Veil” in The Heath
Anthology of American Literature, edited by Paul Lauter Lexington, MA: D.C.
Heath, 1998. Print.
"Puritanism". Encyclopædia
Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc.,
2016. Web. 01 Nov. 2016
Voigt, Gilbert P. “The Meaning
of ‘The Minister's Black Veil.’” College English, vol. 13, no. 6, 1952, pp.
337–338. Jstor.
“Dark Romanticism” New World Encyclopaedia. newworldencyclopedia.org. Accessed 30. Oct. 2016. Web.
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