The minister committed adultery and tried to hide it from the town’s people with the veil. Ahab committed the biggest crime of all, turning his back to God. At the end of both stories the minister and Ahab end up losing their
He is the minister of New England and he’s supposed to be living a life that is holy before God and His people. Arthur Dimmesdale had made a huge mistake when he had sexual relations with Hester. It affected not only him but: Hester, Pearl, the townspeople, God, and Roger Chillingworth. Dimmesdale first acts like he didn’t do anything at the first scaffold scene by stating, “I have thought of death, have wished for it, would have even prayed for it, and were fit that such as I should pray for anything.” (Hawthorne 67.) How it affected him had a huge impact.
A man who loved his mother would have cried a little bit at her funeral. Unlike Meursault’s behavior of being calm and distant at his mother’s funeral. It was unheard of to not have an open casket, but he did not even want to she his own mother one last time. He was not connected with his mother. He seemed to have never been close with her.
One of the themes in “The Minister's Black Veil”, readers is likely to recognize the reaction of the townspeople to change, especially when a change is associated with their religion or religious figures. This is clearly not an accepting community and it is worth thinking critically about the way the whole community comes together to shun him. The veil makes the Reverend look dark and gloomy and instantly, even before one day is through the people in town are witnessing supernatural events. It seems there is something to be said about the group mentality of Puritans and their quick tendencies toward superstition. Elizabeth is the only exception
In bewilderment, they see the minister’s face covered with the black veil which creates commotion among them. There are speculations about the origin of the veil, nevertheless nobody dares to ask. Mr Hooper’s sermon is on secret sin, as the Puritans were obsessed with this theme. The veil induces in minister such emotions that the sermon is the greatest ever and causes in parishioners anxiety and at the same time disgust as it reminds and makes them aware of their own sins. The scene might be compared with that in the novel Scarlet Letter, where reverend Dimmesdale, suffering guilty conscience delivers the speech which makes all the people astonished.
Therefore, the black community in Maycomb was crippled with fear. A fear that they will get lynched for a crime they did not commit. Stereotyping is a human instinct. We will always stereotype people's race, class and families. When Aunt Alexandra lived with the Finches, she said this to Scout about the Cunninghams, "Because he is trash, that's why you cant play with him.
“There is a faction that is sworn to drive me from my pulpit. Do you understand that?” (11) Parris seems to be only interested in trying to keep Betty’s condition silent. Parris shows an illustration to be avarice because he wants the perks of being the Reverend to the church in Salem. Betty’s well-being seems to only derive from Tituba. In Salem the Seven Deadly Sins were a part of their townspeople everyday life it seems.
“She is not a welcomed visitor to this congregation, though. The parishioners feel “a fear of the black and the old” (Clugston, 2010), the use of the word black is not just to tell us the color of her skin, but to symbolize evil. You would think that the theme would be racism, but it is not. The theme of this story is religion, no matter what color you are, you have the right to choose what religion you are or not. Everyone should be welcome at church, it should not matter the color of
Maass, Parker Professor Ewell English 308W 22 February 2011 The Ministers Black Veil Analysis In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story The Minister’s Black Veil, it is very difficult to extract what the meaning of the story is as well as what the minister’s veil itself represents. In Hawthorne’s tale, we can find paradoxes, contradictions, as well as ambiguities littered throughout the story; but still no direct meaning is given. Even upon his deathbed, Mr. Hooper refuses to have the veil removed from his brow in hopes to make a point to everyone who had seen or heard about this mysterious garment. Even when approached from different angles and placed under different scopes, no true meaning can be found as to why Mr. Hooper vows to wear the veil for the rest of his life. The first and the most obvious ambiguity of the story is the fact that Mr. Hooper, a well liked and well known man of God, has chosen to wear a veil.
. until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (Lee)This moral view gives further evidence as to why Atticus would show his dislike for racism in the court and town of Maycomb. Atticus willingness to challenge the racial boundaries also means that he pushes for the truth to come out in the courts of Maycomb where there is injustice. “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men’s hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.” (Lee 266)EGDV “Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it.