The Minister's Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne Research Proposal

The Ministers Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne - Research Proposal Exampleveil, a message regarding the power of the symbol itself as a symbol and the importance of considering individual interpretation as a part of this heart and soul.Nathanial Hawthorne wrote from a deep immersion in the Puritan world, having had ancestors that landed on North American soil with a Bible in one hand and a sword in the other, ready to tame the wilderness (Swisher, 1996). His hometown of Salem, mamma was the setting for the most brutal witch trials documented in this country and his education reinforced the beliefs espoused by such trials and the religion that made them possible. These influences figured strongly in his writings, often forming the basis of his tales. This is true whether he was writing short stories or longer novels, whether he was writing of times long past or of a more contemporary period and whether he set his stories in his homeland or moved them all the mode across the sea i nto Italy. The way that Hawthorne used this influence reveals a deep questioning of the validity of the beliefs to which hed been raised to adhere (Erlich, 1984). Few of his stories offer straight-forward tales that are easily unsounded on first reading. Some, like his short story The Ministers Black Veil, leave a great deal open for speculation. The meaning of the ministers black veil has been debated since the story was first printed, plainly it seems clear that the veil is intended to symbolize something much greater than a lively assessment might imply.The story itself seems simple enough. It opens as the village people are called to the church for a normal Sunday mass and the minister emerges wear a heavy black veil. The veil permits his mouth and chin to be seen, being just long enough to be touched by his breath, but keeps his eyes constantly shrouded from the rest of the world. The congregation responds to this strange appearance of their minister as he takes his place i n the church, delivers his sermon and then attempts to