Nathanial Hawthorne's short story, "The Minister's Black Veil," addresses issues of social norms and how people often take too much priority over questioning the strange behavior. instead of accepting his personal choices. In constantly striving to demand answers, people often forget to appreciate the complexity of the world and fail to realize that it is impossible to have life's answers readily available for personal consumption on a platter. money. The general public places too much emphasis on critically analyzing human nature, rather than stopping briefly to enjoy life's greatest mysteries. The main character, Mr. Hooper, was the only ideal example of someone who chose not to follow conventional social norms compared to the people of Puritan towns. Nathanial Hawthorne's enigmatic story revolves around Mr. Hooper's black veil which symbolizes the sins and guilt once committed; However, the truth behind the veil remains elusive because it is very much like a human mask, behind which society constantly hides rather than exposing the truth to the surface. As town minister, Mr. Hooper was considered a well-respected man who held a high position within the community church, where he preached his ideals to his fellow Puritans. Hawthorne's interpretation of the ordained minister, "Mr. Hooper had the reputation of a good preacher, but not of an energetic man: he endeavored to win his people to heaven, by slight persuasive influences, rather than to push them there by the thunders of the Word” (998). This quote suggests that Mr. Hooper lacked the vitality and urgency to inspire the Puritans to connect with their inner spiritual sides. His lackluster performance did not encourage the vision of thinking beyond oneself to a higher power, but also avoided...... middle of paper ...... one is cultured into moss, and Mr. Hooper's good face is dust; but horrible is the idea that it has become moldy under the black veil” (1006). The message behind the black veil was supposed to remain a secret, which Mr. Hooper never revealed to anyone, not even himself. It is possible to consider that Mr. Hooper felt that the public did not deserve to know the truth because his society was too critical. They chose to spread lies and did not respect everyone's personal wishes. Perhaps the meaning of the black veil was misinterpreted and it symbolically represented the ugliness that her society imposed on her. He chose to stand out rather than blend in with conventional social norms. The truth is that Mr. Hooper considered himself normal, while he believed that the townspeople wouldn't dare step out of their own religion and live life in a different way..