Hooper's Mystery

In parable "The Minister's Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author's use of imagery allowed me to see the affects of Mr. Hooper's veil on the people in his society.

• "The clergyman stepped into the room where t he corpse was  laid, and bent over the coffin, to take a last fare well of his deceased  parishioner. As he stooped, the veil hung straight  down from his fore- head, so that, if her eyelids had not been closed forever, the dead maiden might have seen his face. Could Mr. Hooper be f earful of her  glance, that he so hastily caught back the black veil? A person who  watched the interview between the dead and living,  scrupled not to  affirm, that, at the instant when the clergyman’s features were dis- closed,  the  corpse  had  slightly  shuddered,  rustling   the  shroud  and  muslin cap, though the countenance retained the composure of death.  A superstitious old woman was the only witness of t his prodigy." (Hawthorne, 5)

-  In this excerpt from the story, it shows that whatever Mr.Hooper had hidden under his veil could not only repulse the living but also make the dead tremble.

• "Though of a firmer character than his own, the tears rolled down her cheeks. But, in an instant, as it were, a new feeling took the place of  sorrow: her eyes were fixed insensibly on the black  veil, when, like a  sudden twilight in the air, its terrors fell around  her. She arose, and  stood trembling before him." (Hawthorne, 9)

-In this excerpt from the story, I could image Elizabeth crying and a few second her eyes becoming dilated from terror like a cartoon character.

-Larenzle Coleman

1. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The Minister's Black Veil." Nathaniel Hawthorne's Tales. Ed. James McIntosh. New York: Norton, 1987. 97-107.