<P> Like many of Hawthorne's works, the setting of the story is a town in Puritan New England . The scene provides the backdrop for a psychological exploration of the themes of sin, repentance, and morality . Much of the story focuses on the acrimonious reaction of the congregation to the seemingly benign veil . Hawthorne uses their reaction as a critique of the Puritan image of original sin, using the veil as a representation not of "secret sin" but the inherent sinful nature of all people . </P> <P> Nathaniel Hawthorne writes the story in an allegorical format, using a didactic tone . The main theme proves to be revealed sin and underlying guilt, with Hooper's method of preaching being to wear his sin on his face in a literal way . The townspeople grow uncomfortable with him because they start to become aware of their own sin . Hawthorne keeps the motive of the veil unknown to the reader . But the interpretation of the story generally rests on some moral assessment or explanation of the minister's symbolic self - veiling . Literary critic Edgar Allan Poe proposed that the issue of the minister's self - veiling was a mystery conceived to be solved or inferred by the reader . While Poe proposed this, Hawthorne never lets the reader know the reasoning behind the veil . While the veil is the main symbol in the story, it is also ironic . Hooper, in his stubborn use of the veil parable of one sin, is unconsciously guilty of a greater sin: that of egotistically warping the total meaning of life . In addition to standing for a man's concealment or hypocrisy and for Hooper's own sin of pride with its isolating effects, it stands also for the hidden quality of second sin . Hawthorne's use of ambiguity can be portrayed in many different ways: the manipulation of setting, manipulation of lighting and effects, and the use of an unreliable narrator to weave a shocking story that could or could not be likely . The narrator's credibility tends to be questionable because it is not a direct source . In using a third person narrator, the minister's motives are never solidified which keeps up the suspense . </P> <P> Hidden nature of guilt: Hooper arouses in a sermon the notion of secret sin and the sad mysteries in which we hide from our nearest and dearest . Hooper acknowledges the problem of sin, the guilt that is admitted openly, and the guilt of sin that is repressed or hidden from the world . When the Reverend Hooper makes the people aware of the darkness within his being, he introduces disintegration of a barrier between his repugnant, repressed self and his conscious self . This barrier is characterized by the veil, which is transferred into the expression of hidden guilt . Hooper, in the story, advises to the congregation that everyone wears a black veil, this is apparently inferring that everyone has some form of hidden guilt . Some evidence in the story suggests that Hooper committed a very atrocious sin, such as adultery . This could be a reason for his black veil . </P> <P> Communion of sinners: Hooper leads the townspeople in realizing that everyone shares sin no matter how much they try to avoid facing it . All people sin and it is up to them whether they face their sin or ignore it . Hooper tries to teach a lesson . In content, the lesson may be very much like the sermon on "secret sin" Hooper was scheduled to teach, but the townspeople are uncomfortable with the medium . The veil is something they have to see every day, rather than a sermon just once or twice a week . </P>

Nathaniel hawthorne the minister's black veil sparknotes