As the 18th century came to a close and the 19th century began. There was no monumental change in the way people loved or thought. However, In America, it did serve as the platform for the evolution of New England's Puritan society, which was a system of rigid structure and strict religious beliefs that allowed no deviation from the rule. It is no surprise then that the short story, The Minister's Black Veil and the novel The Scarlet Letter, which were both authored by Nathaniel Hawthorne, both deal with this same time period. Therefore, it is also no surprise that the two are very similar in several aspects, the main similarity focus on the themes of both of these pieces of literature. Both pieces of writing by Nathaniel Hawthorne center around the idea that everyone sins at some point in his or her lifetime and that how you bear these sins can be the determining factor in how you live your life.
             In Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story The Minister's black veil the main character is a member of the clergy by the name of Reverend Parson Hooper who resides in a small puritan village in Massachusetts. The story is aptly named, as Reverend Hooper wears a black veil throughout the entire story. "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. On a nearer view, it seemed to consist of two folds of crape, which entirely concealed his features, except the mouth and chin, but probably did not intercept his sight, farther than to give a darkened aspect to all living and inanimate things." When the townspeople first see Reverend Hooper and his black veil they assume that it must be due to a physical ailment or perhaps even a sign of mourning, but as time goes by without the veil being removed, the subject becomes a great mystery to the people. Naturally, as people do, they begin to suspect the worst, and they finally decide that Mr. ...