1. In the first paragraph, the tone of the story is jovial. The author describes a church scene in which adults and children are happily entering church. This is evident in his use of words such as "bright faces", "merrily, and "sunshine". As the story progresses, the tone shifts from jovial to gloomy and mysterious. This is evident in his use of words such as "darkly", "gloomy", "confusion", and "mysteries". The shift in tone occurs when the minister is first seen with the black veil; everyone is mystified at the minister's current choice of headwear.
2. Hawthorne's use of light/dark imagery is clear in the use of diction. The first paragraph uses light imagery,however, the story transitions to a use of dark imagery as the story continues. Nevertheless, Hawthorne doesn't completely abandon the use of light imagery after the first paragraph. He makes a contrast between light and dark imagery in the middle of the story when he discusses the funeral of a young lady and then proceeds to discuss the marriage of another young lady. Hawthorne seems to imply that light and darkness balance each other; one cannot exist without the other.
3. "Swathed about his forehead, and hanging down over his face, so low as to be shaken by his breath, Mr. Hooper had on a black veil." In this sentence, the natural subject- verb direct object order is inverted to build and add to the suspense and mystery that has already been created. This sentences comes when the minister enters the church and all of the parishioners are amazed at his new appearance. The inverted order of this sentence helps to pack suspense for the revelation: the minister is wearing a black veil.
4.When Mr. Hooper leans over the casket of the young girl, his veil lifts. In that instant, his face is revealed to the body in the casket. An old lady claimed that the body of the young girl shivered when the minister's features were disclosed. As soon as Mr. Hooper realized that his veil had lifted back, he pulled it back in place. The first question that emerges when reading this part of the story is why the young body of the girl shivered at the sight of the minister's face. Is it possible that he killed her or maybe he committed some sort of sexual sin against her? Maybe, the minister felt ashamed of his actions and neglects to show his face to his victim.
5. The juxtaposition of the wedding of a wedding of two young people on the same day as a funeral of a young maiden goes right along with the theme of Light v. Dark. This stark contrast demonstrates that light and dark are joined; they both work together. This juxtaposition goes against one of the main ideas of transcendentalism that states "All people are born good, but society corrupts them". In this story, the minister is wearing a black veil to conceal his sins that were a result of his own individual thoughts and actions. It shows that following one's inner light is not always the best choice.
6. A reader may know that Hawthorne understood the power of rhetoric through his use of diction, rhetorical questions, and irony. He exhibits his powerful knowledge of diction choice when he transitions his choice of vocabulary from happy to gloomy in a swiftful manner. He makes a stark contrast that is obvious yet not too abrupt. "Have men avoided me, and women shown no pity, and children screamed and fled, only for my black veil?" The preceding rhetorical question is successful in its attempt to make the audience wonder about one's own sins. The irony is shown through the main character of the story; the minister of a church has committed such a horrendous sin that he is forced to hide his face.
7. Hawthorne seems to criticize the basic tenants of Transcendentalism through the main focus of the story. The story is based on a minister's secret sin and decision to wear a black veil. Although, the sin is not revealed, it seems that it had something to do with the young maiden who died. The minister uses the black veil to hide his shame, sin, and guilt from those who look up to him. It could be said that Mr. Hooper was guided by his inner light to follow his inner desires but our inner desires are not always the ones by we should abide by. Transcendentalists believe that people are innately good yet this story proves that everyone has negative inner desires.
2. Hawthorne's use of light/dark imagery is clear in the use of diction. The first paragraph uses light imagery,however, the story transitions to a use of dark imagery as the story continues. Nevertheless, Hawthorne doesn't completely abandon the use of light imagery after the first paragraph. He makes a contrast between light and dark imagery in the middle of the story when he discusses the funeral of a young lady and then proceeds to discuss the marriage of another young lady. Hawthorne seems to imply that light and darkness balance each other; one cannot exist without the other.
3. "Swathed about his forehead, and hanging down over his face, so low as to be shaken by his breath, Mr. Hooper had on a black veil." In this sentence, the natural subject- verb direct object order is inverted to build and add to the suspense and mystery that has already been created. This sentences comes when the minister enters the church and all of the parishioners are amazed at his new appearance. The inverted order of this sentence helps to pack suspense for the revelation: the minister is wearing a black veil.
4.When Mr. Hooper leans over the casket of the young girl, his veil lifts. In that instant, his face is revealed to the body in the casket. An old lady claimed that the body of the young girl shivered when the minister's features were disclosed. As soon as Mr. Hooper realized that his veil had lifted back, he pulled it back in place. The first question that emerges when reading this part of the story is why the young body of the girl shivered at the sight of the minister's face. Is it possible that he killed her or maybe he committed some sort of sexual sin against her? Maybe, the minister felt ashamed of his actions and neglects to show his face to his victim.
5. The juxtaposition of the wedding of a wedding of two young people on the same day as a funeral of a young maiden goes right along with the theme of Light v. Dark. This stark contrast demonstrates that light and dark are joined; they both work together. This juxtaposition goes against one of the main ideas of transcendentalism that states "All people are born good, but society corrupts them". In this story, the minister is wearing a black veil to conceal his sins that were a result of his own individual thoughts and actions. It shows that following one's inner light is not always the best choice.
6. A reader may know that Hawthorne understood the power of rhetoric through his use of diction, rhetorical questions, and irony. He exhibits his powerful knowledge of diction choice when he transitions his choice of vocabulary from happy to gloomy in a swiftful manner. He makes a stark contrast that is obvious yet not too abrupt. "Have men avoided me, and women shown no pity, and children screamed and fled, only for my black veil?" The preceding rhetorical question is successful in its attempt to make the audience wonder about one's own sins. The irony is shown through the main character of the story; the minister of a church has committed such a horrendous sin that he is forced to hide his face.
7. Hawthorne seems to criticize the basic tenants of Transcendentalism through the main focus of the story. The story is based on a minister's secret sin and decision to wear a black veil. Although, the sin is not revealed, it seems that it had something to do with the young maiden who died. The minister uses the black veil to hide his shame, sin, and guilt from those who look up to him. It could be said that Mr. Hooper was guided by his inner light to follow his inner desires but our inner desires are not always the ones by we should abide by. Transcendentalists believe that people are innately good yet this story proves that everyone has negative inner desires.