The Minister's Black Veil

‘The Minister's Black Veil’ by Nathaniel Hawthorne, first published in 1832, is a grim tale about Mr Hooper, a preacher, who starts wearing a veil over the upper part of his face. He first wore the veil while delivering a sermon on secret sin, and never removes it, despite the dismay of the congregation or the pleas of his fiancée, who leaves him. Mr Hooper develops into Father Hooper, a figure who makes converts of people who imagine themselves to also hide behind the veil. Through the narrative technique, Hawthorne ultimately implies that the exposed faces of people also function like veils in order to cover one or more of the deadly sins.