es a oneness
of mind, heart, spirit, will, and imagination. In 1839 he invested time and money into a
socialist society experiment called Brook Farm Community. Finding that his nonsocial
behaviors continued to hinder him Nathaniel left after only a few short months (American
224). All of his conflicting ideas about the Puritan religion, original sin and his own place
in the world has let the reader understand Hawthorne's journey of self awareness.
In 1828, after leaving college, he privately published his first novel Fanshawe. He
was unhappy with the response and withdrew it from circulation (Herzberg 440). Only
writing for magazines his stories caught the public eye and in 1837 a compilation of his
short stories were publisher as Twice - Told Tales. According to James D. Hart,
Hawthorne was quoted in saying that the stories in Twice - told tales were "the pale tint of
flowers that blossomed in too retired a shade". One of these stories that deals with his
views on Puritanism was The Ministers Black Veil.
The Ministers Black Veil is a story in which the parishioner's of the puritan church
are taken aback by their ministers insistence in wearing a black veil over his face. The
minister symbolized Hawthorne's own solitary life. Hawthorne felt that he was alone in a
crowd and separated from others. "He could not walk the streets......the genteel and timid
would turn aside to avoid him" , " the children fled from his approach, breaking their
merriest sports". The black veil was "a material emblem (that) separated him from
happiness" but it also made Father Hopper " a very efficient clergyman" in that he could "
sympathize with all dark affections" and "Strangers came long distances to attend service
Some believe that the Hawthorne's internalized guilt over his family's past history
caused him to add the ...