The Minister’s Black Veil Essay -- Literary Analysis, Nathaniel Hawtho

In his various works, Nathaniel Hawthorne addresses the religious themes dominant in colonial Puritan society. For example, the beloved Mr. Hooper of Hawthorne’s parable The Minister’s Black Veil dons a black veil, a mysterious change which the Puritans believed â€Å"could portend nothing but evil† (Hawthorne 630). As a result, the Puritans isolate their minister. Even though the parable does show the Puritans’ harsh and superstitious reaction to the vagary of the minister, the veil itself symbolizes both the minister’s isolation from society and his connection to society through original sin. This veil and other symbols in Hawthorne’s works illustrate the universal truth that â€Å"all art is paradox.† Hawthorne approaches this notion in his novel The Scarlet Letter by placing contradictions at the heart of his art. The female protagonist, Hester Prynne, bears the societal burdens of adultery as she wears the scarlet letter â€Å"A. † Because of her suffering and struggle to find her place in society, Hester Prynne eventually receives redemption. However, Hester’s crime alters the lives of two others: Minister Dimmesdale and the physician Chillingworth, who both seek salvation, and by the end of the novel, all three redeem themselves. Nonetheless, the three would not have redeemed themselves had they not sinned. Through the contradictions of the true Christian model and his characters’ personalities, Hawthorne reveals that redemption is still possible even after one falls. Nathaniel Hawthorne paradoxically depicts Hester Prynne as the Christian model even though she is considered immoral. In Christian theology, Jesus is the physical representation of God and exemplifies the characteristics needed to attain salvation, so the way one could tel... ...this literary art to offer hope to the reader that redemption can be achieved after sin, and he effectively conveys this message through the contradictions of the Christian model and the personalities of his characters. In both The Scarlet Letter and The Minister’s Black Veil, Hawthorne explores isolation from society and connection to society by original sin through vagaries in religious characters, such as Dimmesdale and the minister Mr. Hooper. Through this paradox and those in his novel, Hawthorne reveals that life and human nature are paradoxes, for a person must struggle and face disappointment before he or she can truly find success and happiness. Moreover, a person can only redeem himself by understanding the consequences of sin through experience, and through these contradictions in his art, Hawthorne inspires his readers to find clarity from confusion.