4. Mr. Hooper has something to hide. That much is for sure. Explain the significance of the incident when Mr. Hooper leans over the casket of the dead young girl. Be very attentive to weird stuff right here. If you think there's something to this, you're probably right.
When Mr. Hooper leans over the casket, he exposes his face to the now deceased girl. Many strange things could have gone on during this time period. Nobody knows for sure what the minister did, but one could make inferences based off of the text. Since Hooper has something to hide, this could indicate that him and the girl had sexual relations. Hooper could have kissed the corpse, or he could have leaned over to reveal himself one last time to his "old friend".
5. Discuss the significance of the juxtaposition of a wedding of two young people on the very same day as a funeral of a young maiden. What, if anything, does Hawthorne imply with this juxtaposition?
Marriage symbolizes a new start/a new life. Death is the end of a life. Given the description of the bride, the tone of the funeral seems to overpower the joy of the wedding, almost canceling each other out. However, the darkness of the funeral prevails slightly more than the joy of the wedding, and this leaves a somber cloud over the bride and groom. Since Hawthorne's writing usually revolves around the opposite views of transcendentalism, the audience can infer that Hawthorne is stating that darkness will always have power over light.
6. Build an argument that explains how certain a reader may be that Hawthorne knew of and understood the power of rhetoric. Choose specific passages from the text to support your claims. (This one is all about rhetorical analysis. You're welcome!)
Hawthorne starts his story by setting up the scene as bright and happy day, but he quickly transitions to the dark mood of a funeral. Hawthorne catches the reader off guard by quickly introducing this dark mood, and introduces mystery the moment that the veil is revealed. The veil automatically strikes the audience as odd, as the people in the church where visibly disturbed by this black veil. Questions arise, such as "why is he wearing a veil that people are so unused to seeing?", and the idea that this is no ordinary funeral appears. Like I mentioned in the majority of my responses, Hawthorne portrays the battle between light and dark throughout the entirety of the story, and builds up an insolvable mystery. However, Hawthorne leaves enough clues for the reader to infer the sin that Hooper has committed.
7. Hawthorne was not a small critic of Transcendentalism, with its constant proddings for people to tap into the inner-light, and avoid conformity as individuals tap into Nature and the over-soul. How does Hawthorne seem to criticize the basic tenants of Transcendentalism with "The Minister's Black Veil"? What argument does Hawthorne seem to be most critical? Be sure to use specific pieces from the text to support your claims.
Hawthorne uses careful diction to portray the battle between light and dark throughout the entire story. The first occurrence of this was when Hawthorne mentions the bright and cheery day outside and then quickly switches to the depressing tone of the funeral. Like stated in question 4, Hawthorne implies(according to the text) that darkness will always overcome light, refuting transcendentalists' claims that humans are inherently good and that their "inner light" will always shine through. If humans where inherently good, then why is Mr. Hooper hiding an obvious sin? From the black veil to the appearance of the bride and groom, darkness shrouds the majority of the story, allowing room for light only in the beginning. Not only did Hawthorne portray the battle of light vs dark inside the characters of the story, Hawthorne also portrayed this battle in his style of writing; starting light, and quickly transforming into a dark and mysterious story.
8. Finally: Hawthorne carefully avoids ever mentioning what Hooper has hidden. That said, from what you can tell, what is the most likely sin that the Reverend Hooper has committed? Explain the basis for your claim with solid argumentation. (Syllogism, enthymeme, logical reasoning).
According to the text, Hooper has either committed murder or he has engaged in sexual relations with the girl. However, the story tends to lean more towards the theory of sexual relations. When the minister comes in wearing a veil, the audience is visibly disturbed, indicating that the veil rarely(if ever) makes an appearance. The veil indicates that Hooper has/had some special connection to the dead girl, or else he probably wouldn't have worn the veil. The veil has a variety of purposes. It could be worn to conceal the shame that he feels, it could be worn to show the sadness that he is feeling, or it could be worn as a token of extreme respect. However, I believe it is worn to conceal the shame of the minister. He has obviously done something wrong, so concealing his true emotions is warranted. When Hooper leans over the casket, he allegedly makes the girl shake. Did he put the power of God into her? Or did he forcibly move her body? I believe that Hooper kissed the girl underneath his veil in the short moment that the two were face to face, presumably for the last time. The kiss hypothesis makes a sexual relation more possible, and all Hooper wanted to do was see his lover for one last time.
When Mr. Hooper leans over the casket, he exposes his face to the now deceased girl. Many strange things could have gone on during this time period. Nobody knows for sure what the minister did, but one could make inferences based off of the text. Since Hooper has something to hide, this could indicate that him and the girl had sexual relations. Hooper could have kissed the corpse, or he could have leaned over to reveal himself one last time to his "old friend".
5. Discuss the significance of the juxtaposition of a wedding of two young people on the very same day as a funeral of a young maiden. What, if anything, does Hawthorne imply with this juxtaposition?
Marriage symbolizes a new start/a new life. Death is the end of a life. Given the description of the bride, the tone of the funeral seems to overpower the joy of the wedding, almost canceling each other out. However, the darkness of the funeral prevails slightly more than the joy of the wedding, and this leaves a somber cloud over the bride and groom. Since Hawthorne's writing usually revolves around the opposite views of transcendentalism, the audience can infer that Hawthorne is stating that darkness will always have power over light.
6. Build an argument that explains how certain a reader may be that Hawthorne knew of and understood the power of rhetoric. Choose specific passages from the text to support your claims. (This one is all about rhetorical analysis. You're welcome!)
Hawthorne starts his story by setting up the scene as bright and happy day, but he quickly transitions to the dark mood of a funeral. Hawthorne catches the reader off guard by quickly introducing this dark mood, and introduces mystery the moment that the veil is revealed. The veil automatically strikes the audience as odd, as the people in the church where visibly disturbed by this black veil. Questions arise, such as "why is he wearing a veil that people are so unused to seeing?", and the idea that this is no ordinary funeral appears. Like I mentioned in the majority of my responses, Hawthorne portrays the battle between light and dark throughout the entirety of the story, and builds up an insolvable mystery. However, Hawthorne leaves enough clues for the reader to infer the sin that Hooper has committed.
7. Hawthorne was not a small critic of Transcendentalism, with its constant proddings for people to tap into the inner-light, and avoid conformity as individuals tap into Nature and the over-soul. How does Hawthorne seem to criticize the basic tenants of Transcendentalism with "The Minister's Black Veil"? What argument does Hawthorne seem to be most critical? Be sure to use specific pieces from the text to support your claims.
Hawthorne uses careful diction to portray the battle between light and dark throughout the entire story. The first occurrence of this was when Hawthorne mentions the bright and cheery day outside and then quickly switches to the depressing tone of the funeral. Like stated in question 4, Hawthorne implies(according to the text) that darkness will always overcome light, refuting transcendentalists' claims that humans are inherently good and that their "inner light" will always shine through. If humans where inherently good, then why is Mr. Hooper hiding an obvious sin? From the black veil to the appearance of the bride and groom, darkness shrouds the majority of the story, allowing room for light only in the beginning. Not only did Hawthorne portray the battle of light vs dark inside the characters of the story, Hawthorne also portrayed this battle in his style of writing; starting light, and quickly transforming into a dark and mysterious story.
8. Finally: Hawthorne carefully avoids ever mentioning what Hooper has hidden. That said, from what you can tell, what is the most likely sin that the Reverend Hooper has committed? Explain the basis for your claim with solid argumentation. (Syllogism, enthymeme, logical reasoning).
According to the text, Hooper has either committed murder or he has engaged in sexual relations with the girl. However, the story tends to lean more towards the theory of sexual relations. When the minister comes in wearing a veil, the audience is visibly disturbed, indicating that the veil rarely(if ever) makes an appearance. The veil indicates that Hooper has/had some special connection to the dead girl, or else he probably wouldn't have worn the veil. The veil has a variety of purposes. It could be worn to conceal the shame that he feels, it could be worn to show the sadness that he is feeling, or it could be worn as a token of extreme respect. However, I believe it is worn to conceal the shame of the minister. He has obviously done something wrong, so concealing his true emotions is warranted. When Hooper leans over the casket, he allegedly makes the girl shake. Did he put the power of God into her? Or did he forcibly move her body? I believe that Hooper kissed the girl underneath his veil in the short moment that the two were face to face, presumably for the last time. The kiss hypothesis makes a sexual relation more possible, and all Hooper wanted to do was see his lover for one last time.