Comparing The Minister's Black Veil By Johnathan Edwards

In “The Ministers Black Veil” By Nathaniel Hawthorne Mr. Hooper is hiding a sin under the black veil for everyone that sins not just himself. Some may believe he is free from sin but everyone sins, and no one is perfect. Based on him putting the veil on at the maiden’s funeral and him leaving it on and other points will prove he is wearing the veil for secret sin. This article will introduce both sides of him wearing the veil, but it will prove that the reason he is wearing it is to hid sins.

Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Minister's Black Veil" embodies the hidden sins that we all hide and that in turn distance us from the ones we love most. Reverend Hooper dons a black veil throughout this story, and never takes it off. He has discerned in everyone a dark, hidden self of secret sin. In wearing the veil Hooper dramatizes the isolation that each person experiences when they are chained down by their own sinful deeds. He has realizes that symbolically everyone can be found in the shadow of their own dark veil. Hooper in wearing this shroud across his face is only amplifying the dark side of people and the truth of human existence and nature.

Nathaniel Hawthorne's “ The Minister's Black Veil “ and Jonathan Edwards “ Sinners In The Hands of An Angry God” are writings that have much significance to religion, having a strong belief in god. “The Minister's black veil “ and “Sinners In The Hands of an angry god: may seem similar since they talk on the behalf of religion, they have differences such as the punishment, damnation, and who the sinners are. Edwards agrees that everyone is predestined and anyone no matter who you are can go to hell. However, Hawthorne believes that everyone carries a secret sin in their hearts and how terrible humans can be on the inside. These two authors have different ties but their main ideas still have ties.

Jonathan Edwards, a negative and realistic man, focused on how God is a judgemental god and sinners will be put to a painful death, they should be fearful. He says in the first few lines of his speech, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, “So that, thus it is that natural men are held in the hand of God, over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit.” (Edwards, Pg. 23) Edwards implies that everyone deserves to be in hell and he goes on to say that God is an angry God and that no one had done anything to try to ease His anger. Edwards also played a large role in the Great Awakening. He wanted people to experience Christianity in an intense and emotional way. In his speech, he said, “O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: It is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God, whose wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you, as against many of the damned in hell.” (Edwards, Pg. 26) Edward’s speech was opportunity knocking at everyone’s doors. He influenced people to want to be saved in a way that made many fearful of what could happen to them if they weren’t saved or a child of God. Edwards believed that God set the world in motion, but was not active in everyone’s life. Edwards believed that God created the world and

When the Puritans were listening to Edwards’ sermon, they were either screaming or crying because of the effect the techniques that he had used. Furthermore, Edwards’ speaking tone was monotone, but he used impactful words to successfully get his point across without raising or lowering his tone of voice. This represented how effective his speaking techniques were. For instance, “there is Hell’s wide gaping mouth open; and you have nothing to stand upon,” (Edwards 87) which was all said with a non-changing tone. This warning of failure represents how Edwards was feared by the Puritans by just the words he spoke. The biblical reference was taken literally by the Puritans; they thought Edwards was telling the truth about what would happen to them if they didn’t stop doing what they thought was non-sinful. Therefore, the techniques that Edwards used, could allow Edwards to convince anyone and everyone he wanted to

Edwards includes Bible references to extract emotion from his listeners and give his sermon an importance in the spiritual lives of his audience members. Edwards opens his sermon by stating “Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands in calling and crying with a loud voice to poor sinners,” which functions as an effective lead into this part of his speech. This conveys the message that God wants his people to be blessed into heaven no matter their prosperity level, but it’s up to them to make the right decisions to get there. Edwards goes on to preach that the people of the present are a special case because they have a second chance at redeeming the “wonderful dispensation of God’s mercy”. He speaks directly to the non-Christians as well asking “do not you know that you are going down to hell, to bear the dreadful wrath of that God, who is now angry with you every day and every night.” He says this not to aimlessly denounce the unconverted, but to invite them too into the second chance that God has given everybody to seek out grace. Edwards concludes his sermon by quoting the Bible one last time with a quote about Sodom, saying “Haste and escape for your lives, look not behind you, escape to the mountain lest you be consumed.” This quote provides a strong closing to his argument by comparing his audience to dwellers of Sodom in that his audience has the chance to flee their sin and regain the blessing of God by

There are a few similarities between The Minister’s Black Veil and Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God. Sinners in the Hand of Angry God is written by Jonathan Edwards it is a six hour speech about how sinners should come to God. The Minister’s Black Veil is written by Nathaniel Hawthorne a short story about how everyone sins and hides behind a black veil.” He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face .

The two preachers are alike because they both have a sense of suspense, as well as intimidation. Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of “The Minister's Black Veil,” and Jonathan Edwards, author of “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” are two preachers that are trying to portray an image that everyone has secret sin that they have a hard time hiding. “Have men avoided me, and women show no pity and children screamed and fled, only for my black veil?” (485-486) Hawthorne’s quote in “The Minister’s Black Veil” shows how his clergy of people felt when he began wearing the black veil.

Jonathan Edwards wants to persuade his readers in “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. It’s a sermon talking about the Puritan Religion and God’s anger towards sinners. In “The Minister’s Black Veil”, Parson Hooper, preaches to his congregation. He is hiding his face behind a black veil and he refuses to lift it because of his sins. While I would characterize Edwards as energetic and angry and the character of Hooper as calm, the reader gets more persuaded in his understanding of Puritan ideals by believing in God’s wrath towards sinners.

Nathaniel Hawthorne developed his theme and style in the text “The Minister’s Black Veil” better than Jonathan Edwards did in the text “sinners in the hands of an angry God.” The theme in Hawthorne’s text is don’t judge a person based on how they look; his style of writing was very gloomy and sad. Edwards theme of his text is the people must repent for their sinful ways or be dammed to hell; his style of writing is very serious and angry. The two texts themes are similar and different.

Though the two ultimately have the same goals (to educate the reader about sin), they do so in two very different ways. Edwards seems to believe that the best way to get his message out is as loudly and bluntly as possible. Hawthorne goes about it by crafting an allegory about a veil before finally revealing what it symbolizes in the end. He also choses to present his beliefs in the form of a parable instead of a sermon. Perhaps an adequate metaphor would be that Edwards was a shotgun and Hawthorne was a high-precision

In the eyes of God, we are all sinners. July 8, 1741, John Edwards preached to his congregation that no matter what we do, God would send us to hell unless we spill our blood on the cross. Edwards’s sermon was one of the most pivotal, volatile, and stirring sermons that set the standard for hellfire and brimstone sermons. Edwards’s describes all of us as sinners and how our lives lay perilously in god’s angry hands. To this day, we still have pastors preaching hellfire and brimstone sermons. While 272 years separate John Edwards from modern day pastors, we can still see the ever-lasting correlation that is derived from John Edwards in modern day pastors.

“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards and “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne have different methods of conveying their beliefs. Both authors show the importance of faith and the ramifications of sin. While I would describe Jonathan Edwards as passionate and heated, the character of Parson Hooper changes the reader’s understanding of Puritan ideals of religion by being an example of faith and repentance. Hawthorne and Edwards have different approaches to getting their thoughts and beliefs across to the people.

“The Minister’s Black Veil” was first published in 1832 and was written during the American Romantic time period. Romanticism was a time period where emotion and beliefs were valued over reason and facts. Nathaniel Hawthorne can be seen as a writer of “Dark Romanticism,” a sub genre of Romanticism with a fascination with horrific themes and the exploration of the psychological effects of sin and guilt, and where the writers focused on judgement, punishment, and self-destruction. Hawthorne’s use of this style of writing sets the tone of the work as a observation of the nature of sin.

Humans consistently have presented themselves as a different creature than who they may be inside. The struggle between mans good and evil interpersonal tendencies are at constant war with each other, and with that, the seven deadly sins present themselves in a variety of ways. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil”, this idea of the constant struggle between good and evil is brought to the surface primarily through the characters of Rev. Hooper, Elizabeth, Hooper’s fiancé, Goodman Grey, Rev. Clark, and the townspeople. The story opens with the sexton tolling the bell, summoning the townspeople to the church for their weekly sermon. Astonished at the sight of Reverend Hooper’s black veil, whispers and fear sweep through the congregation. Many people believe he had gone insane, or hiding some deadly sin. The melancholy black veil intensifies his sermon making it appear more powerful, much more so than his normally mild, calm preaching style. Isolation encompasses Hooper. People avoid him; all but his fiancé. She cries and pleas for the veil to come off, but Hooper refuses, causing her to leave. There are multiple instances of a resigned smile flashing across his face, and that, too, puzzles the townspeople. Father Hooper ages, and is laying on his deathbed. Reverend Mr. Clark is standing over him, and asks to remove the veil to restore Mr. Hoopers legacy to one of a godly nature. The dying minister, with a sudden surge of energy, moves his hands from under the