Beginning of Essay
"The Minister’s Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a story about one clergyman’s alienation due to his outward dressing. Reverend Hooper was a well-respected preacher who got along well with the townspeople until one day when he appeared wearing a black v ....

Middle of Essay
.... open windows" (Hawthorne 256). The minister might have committed a secret sin, or he could have used the veil to make a silent statement. Whatever his reason for his odd clothing, Reverend Hooper’s veil caused more than a physical separation from the people of his town. The people felt the veil was "the symbol of a fearful secret between him and them" (Hawthorne 256). Their fear and confusion of the minister’s motives caused strange behavior and unnatural withdrawal from their spiritual leader. After the initial onset of the black veil, the minister was alienated from himself. After performing the wedding, he caught a glimpse of himself ....