Hawthorne's Criticism of the Puritan Way of life:.
A black veil symbolizes the gate between mortal life and the spiritual life. It is the wall that separates Minister Hooper and the rest of society. Why does Nathaniel Hawthorne choose to show his readers such self-imposed chastisement of the protagonist? Is Hawthorne criticizing the Puritan way of life? Evidence of cruelty within the Puritan society is one way Hawthorne disparages the Puritan culture. He also shows how judgmental the Puritan view of humanity really is. Fear of the unknown and death is unmistakably another tool that Hawthorne employs to criticize the Puritans in "The Minister's Black Veil."" To further establish that "The Minister's Black Veil- is evidence of Hawthorne's disapproval of the Puritan culture, a comparison of Hawthorne's tales prove helpful when a repetitive theme arises. The major theme in every case is the suffering and separation of the protagonist from the Puritan way of life due to the unfair rulings of such a society. .
Hawthorne critic of the unkindness within the Puritan society is very subtle, but yet very clear. The main events of "The Minister's Black Veil- revolve around the opinions and actions of the Puritan society that Minister Hooper is a part of. When Hawthorne first reveals the black veil to the readers, he creates a mysterious mood as to put the reader in the same perspective as the Puritans in Mr. Hooper's meetinghouse. Hawthorne is smart to use this approach so that he does not seem to be convincing his readers, but rather guiding them unknowingly to the conclusion of his choice. "'I can't really feel as if good Mr. Hooper's face was behind that piece of crape, said the sexton. I don't like it' muttered an old lady He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face. Our parson has gone mad! cried Goodman Gray (Hawthorne 1281). Hawthorne's detailed description of the gossip that the black veil produces, invites the reader to create his or her own opinion of the veil and it provokes the reader to follow the crowd's attitude.