The Minister’s Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne

1. The Minister’s Black Veilby Nathaniel Hawthorne Feature Menu Introducing the Story Literary Skills Focus: Symbolism Literary Skills Focus: Literary Perspectives Reading Skills Focus: Drawing Inferences Writing Skills Focus: Think as a Reader/Writer

2. The Minister’s Black Veilby Nathaniel Hawthorne Where does an individual find inspiration? The Sermon by Julius Gari Melchers

3. The Minister’s Black Veil Introducing the Story Click on the title to start the video.

4. The Minister’s Black Veil Introducing the Story Would people be comfortable . . . . . . if we knew the contents of each other’s souls?

5. The Minister’s Black Veil Introducing the Story Mr. Hooper, a young Puritan clergyman, shocks his congregation by appearing at the church one Sunday in a black veil. • Why, the people wonder fearfully, is their minister hiding his face? • Is the veil related to the topic of Mr. Hooper’s sermon—secret sin? [End of Section]

6. The Minister’s Black Veil Literary Skills Focus: Symbolism A symbol is something that • has meaning in itself • also stands for something beyond itself love passage of time peace

7. The Minister’s Black Veil Literary Skills Focus: Symbolism Hawthorne, like other Dark Romantics, used symbolism in his writing. The central symbol in this story is a black veil. Descriptions of the veil suggest its symbolic importance. “horrible” “dismal shade” The veil “darkly separates the wearer from the world.” “mysterious emblem”

8. The Minister’s Black VeilLiterary Skills Focus: Analyzing Historical Context Thinking about historical context helps you understand the culture of the time. In Puritan New England, sin was a frequent sermon topic. How might the Puritans’ focus on sin and guilt have affected their emotions and actions? The Sermon by Julius Gari Melchers [End of Section]

9. The Minister’s Black VeilReading Skills Focus: Drawing Inferences When you read a story, you draw inferences about characters and events. An inference is an educated guess based on • details in the text • your own knowledge and experience

10. The Minister’s Black VeilReading Skills Focus: Drawing Inferences How can you infer the mood on the Sunday morning in Milford as the story begins? “Children, with bright faces, tripped merrily beside their parents, or mimicked a graver gait, in the conscious dignity of their Sunday clothes. Spruce bachelors looked sidelong at the pretty maidens, and fancied that the Sabbath sunshine made them prettier than on weekdays.” “Children, with bright faces, tripped merrily beside their parents, or mimicked a graver gait, in the conscious dignity of their Sunday clothes. Spruce bachelors looked sidelong at the pretty maidens, and fancied that the Sabbath sunshine made them prettier than on weekdays.” From these details you can infer that the mood is lighthearted.

11. The Minister’s Black VeilReading Skills Focus: Drawing Inferences Into ActionAs you read, keep a chart like the one below to record your inferences about characters, events, and symbols. My Knowledge Details My Inferences The mood in Milford is cheerful and happy. “Children, with bright faces, tripped merrily”; “bachelors looked sidelong at the pretty maidens.” Many of the words have a lighthearted, pleasant connotation. [End of Section]

12. The Minister’s Black VeilWriting Skills Focus: Think As a Reader/Writer Find It in Your Reading The black veil is the principal symbol in this story. As you read, notice how the author suggests the veil’s meanings by describing the way it affects • the congregation’s view of Mr. Hooper • Mr. Hooper’s view of the world

13. Vocabulary

14. The Minister’s Black VeilVocabulary inanimate adj.: lifeless. obscurity n.: darkness. iniquity n.: wickedness. ostentatious adj.: deliberately attracting notice. pensively adv.: thoughtfully or seriously. antipathy n.:strong dislike. plausibility n.: believability.

15. The Minister’s Black VeilVocabulary Those inanimate objectswhichcan be easily replaced are not highly valued. Which of these inanimate objects might be hardest to replace?

16. The Minister’s Black VeilVocabulary The surprised security officer was compelled to ask, “Is everything in your luggage inanimate?” What might the officer have noticed? a lump heaviness meowing

17. The Minister’s Black VeilVocabulary You are aware of obscurity when the lights literally go out, but you may also sense a kind of darkness if you are not noticed or recognized. Not everyone depends on the spotlight for happiness, but few like to work in obscurity.

18. The Minister’s Black VeilVocabulary Unlike some writers, Hawthorne did not have to toil in obscurity. A writer or artist often first creates in obscurity, until the quality of the work is recognized.

19. The Minister’s Black VeilVocabulary A circus today would be considered reasonable and tame entertainment for the family . . . hardly a den of iniquity. What features does this clown have, however, that suggest wickedness, or iniquity?

20. The Minister’s Black VeilVocabulary The word iniquity is old-fashioned, but the concept of wickedness is common enough today. Which of these people looks the least likely to be guilty of any iniquity? A B C

21. The Minister’s Black VeilVocabulary The word ostentatioussuggestsan outward appearance created for the express purpose of showing off.

22. The Minister’s Black VeilVocabulary While the word ostentatiouscan carry a negative connotation, a show-off quality is often appreciated in public buildings. Which is more ostentatious, the opera house in Sidney or the arch in St. Louis?

23. The Minister’s Black VeilVocabulary The adverbpensivelysuggests that someone has some deep thinking to do. A poet pensively considering a sonnet is probably in what kind of mood? thoughtful meditative eager deceitful lighthearted serious harsh jealous

24. The Minister’s Black VeilVocabulary Before Angela accepted the promotion, she and her siblings considered the impact of a move. They each reflected pensivelyon how they would stay close from a greater distance.

25. The Minister’s Black VeilVocabulary The word antipathy suggests a dislike that is somewhat milder than deep hatred. Melton’s hostilitytowardclassmates is only fleeting. What might help him forget his antipathy?

26. The Minister’s Black VeilVocabulary The word antipathy brings to mind several words built on the root –path, meaning feeling. Match the following prefix/root combinations with their meanings: apathy antipathy empathy no feeling hostile feeling shared feeling

27. The Minister’s Black VeilVocabulary Marianne enjoys inviting partners onto the dance floor . . . but can there be any plausibility to the rumor she’s an extraterrestrial who makes dancers disappear between the waltz and the cha-cha?

28. The Minister’s Black VeilVocabulary One may imagine a bizarre and unbelievable scenario, only to find that the natural world functions with equally astounding results. If you had never seen a gyroscope before, would you doubt the plausibility of such incredible balance? [End of Section]

29. The End