The Minister’s Black Veil

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Directions: Make sure to answer each question using complete sentences. No complete sentence = no point!

1. Determine Themes: Romanticism (LINES 11–15) CITE TEXT EVIDENCE What happens in lines 11–15 that begins to build the plot.

2. Analyze Structure: Symbolism (LINES 24–40) What is the purpose of a veil? What possible symbolic meaning does the color black have?

3. Determine Themes: Romanticism (LINES 40–52) CITE TEXT EVIDENCE Cite evidence from lines 40–52 that suggests this story could be classified under Dark Romanticism.

4. Determine Themes: Romanticism (LINES 63–98) CITE TEXT EVIDENCE Analyze lines 63–98 and cite clues to the theme of this story.

5. Determine Themes: Romanticism (LINES 101–136) Identify how the minister’s black veil emphasizes his individuality.

6. Analyze Structure: Symbolism (LINES 119–127) CITE TEXT EVIDENCE A symbol’s meaning is deepened by how the writer develops it throughout the story. What details hint at a meaning of the black veil that is unique to this story. How do these words suggest emotions deeper than sorrow and suggest of a terrible or hidden secret?

7. Determine Themes: Romanticism (LINES 142–152) CITE TEXT EVIDENCE What words and phrases does Hawthorne give in his depiction of the funeral that contribute to the development of a dark—and even spooky—mood.

8. Analyze Structure: Symbolism (LINES 158–164) CITE TEXT EVIDENCE What detail develops the symbolic meaning of the veil more deeply in lines 158–164. What is the meaning of this line by asking students what the dreadful hour is (death) and what veil is snatched from their faces (the veil that hides their sins, or their true natures).

9. Determine Themes: Romanticism (LINES 187–195) What is the significance of line 195, “For the Earth, too, had on her Black Veil”? How does it particularly represent a Gothic sensibility? How does this image contribute to your understanding of theme in the story?

10. Analyze Structure: Symbolism (LINES 191–225) Hawthorne uses the symbol of the black veil to create the conflict that moves the plot of this story forward. It is both an internal conflict affecting Mr. Hooper and an external conflict that occurs between the congregation and Mr. Hooper. CITE TEXT EVIDENCE What examples of the two kinds of conflict appear on this page.

11. Vocabulary Strategy: Nuances in Word Meanings (LINES 244–248) There are nuances, or subtle differences, in the meanings of words. Words with similar denotations may have very different connotations, or associations. For instance, read the description of the black veil in lines 246–247. Compare this description (“but a double fold of crape”) to the words “black veil” used elsewhere to describe the same object.

12. Analyze Structure: Symbolism (LINES 249–253) Although the veil is the primary symbol in this story, Hawthorne uses other symbols as well. CITE TEXT EVIDENCE Ask students what two additional symbols appear in lines 249–253. (the sun and the cloud [line 251]) Ask: What do these two objects symbolize? (The sun symbolizes openness or cheerfulness, and the cloud symbolizes secrecy or sadness.)

13. Determine Themes: Romanticism (LINES 259–281) One of the story’s themes relates to the conflict between the needs and feelings of the individual and the expectations of society. Explain how Mr. Hooper’s behavior in wearing the veil illustrates this conflict.

14. Analyze Structure: Symbolism (LINES 301–309) CITE TEXT EVIDENCE Writers usually use symbols to help readers see deeper meanings. In this story, the characters also see and react to the veil as a symbol. How does the symbol of the veil directly affect the lives of the minister and Elizabeth?

15. Determine Themes: Romanticism (LINES 335–342) Look at the description of Mr. Hooper’s inner life beneath the veil in lines 335–342, especially Hawthorne’s use of the word ambiguity. How does the uncertainty over why Mr. Hooper wears the veil affects the meaning of the story?

16. Determine Themes: Romanticism (LINES 345–365) Theme can be conveyed through character and plot development. CITE TEXT EVIDENCE Cite details in lines 345–365 that show how Mr. Hooper’s veil benefits him in his role as a clergyman. What do these details suggest about a theme of the story?

17. Point of View (LINES 397–411) The third-person point of view can be developed in two ways. An omniscient third-person narrator knows what every character is thinking and feeling. A limited third-person narrator does not know what other characters are thinking and feeling. CITE TEXT EVIDENCE Analyze the second paragraph and decide what point of view Hawthorne is using. Cite the text evidence that leads to this conclusion. How does the author’s choice to use limited third-person point of view support the theme of this story?

18. Analyze Structure: Symbolism (LINES 419–430) The veil inspires curiosity, and often frustration and anger for others in the story, suggesting that the veil has disturbing associations for them. Explain why Mr. Clark wants to remove Mr. Hooper’s veil.

19. Analyze Structure: Symbolism (LINES 438–458) Throughout the story, the minister has frequently been described as having a faint or sad smile showing beneath the veil. The smile is another symbol. CITE TEXT EVIDENCE Locate the two references to Mr. Hooper’s smile on this page. What do you think does the minister’s smile symbolize? Locate other instances in the story where the smile is described and look for more clues to its meaning.

Analyze Structure: Suspense and Ambiguity

The structure of a story is how the writer chooses to organize and develop the plot. In “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Hawthorne has chosen to employ suspense and ambiguity in his story. These two elements help drive the plot forward. In this story, they are closely interwoven.

• Suspense is the excitement or tension created that leaves readers wondering what is happening, what will happen next, and how the story will end. Ask students how suspense is created in the opening paragraphs of the story. (Without saying what is wrong, Hawthorne informs the reader that something strange has happened to the minister’s face; the townspeople are startled and amazed.) Explain that this suspense makes readers want to discover what exactly has happened, so they read more.

• Ambiguity is the uncertainty created when an author leaves elements of the text open to the reader’s interpretation. Ambiguity can help move the plot forward by having the reader piece together clues to decide what is happening or what something means. Ambiguity is central to the plot and the theme of “The Minister’s Black Veil.” Ask students to cite the first occurrence of ambiguity regarding the meaning of the veil. (During the sermon, lines 63–68, when the narrator asks “Did he seek to hide from the dread Being whom he was addressing?”)

CLOSE READING APPLICATION

Apply the skills of analyzing suspense and ambiguity to “The Minister’s Black Veil.” Work with a partner and begin by rereading the dialogue between the minister and Elizabeth in lines 235–303. Analyze the use of suspense and ambiguity in the passage. Answer these questions:

• What are some examples of suspense and ambiguity in this passage?

• What effect does the use of suspense and ambiguity in this passage have on the reader?

• How does the suspense and ambiguity help move the plot forward?