Hawthorne then introduces the opposing perspective. "The subject had reference to secret sin, and those sad mysteries which we hide from our nearest and dearest, and would fain conceal from our own consciousness, even forgetting that the Omniscient can detect them."" By this phrase Hawthorne starts to criticize his readers as well as the Puritans for judging others. It is a parallel to the Bible verse "who that is without sin, cast the first stone."" The mind game continues when Hawthorne further validates Minister Hooper's sanity by writing: "There was nothing terrible in what Mr. Hooper said; at least, no violence; and yet, with every tremor of his melancholy voice, the hearers quaked."" It is at this stage of the plot that Hawthorne separates his readers from the Puritans. Now that the reader is lead to stop the criticism of Mr. Hooper, after all he is still the same kind man, but the Puritan people do not let down. It's as if people realize that the veil is nothing but a piece of crape, but yet enjoy tormenting Mr. Hooper. " How strange, said a lady, that a simple black veil, such as any woman might wear on her bonnet, should become such a terrible thing on Mr. Hooper's face!' (Hawthorne 1282). Hawthorne places this remark purposely as if to show that the Puritans are logical by nature, but choose to view the veil as a negative symbol purposely.
The cruelty does not stop here. Something as simple as a black piece of crape mixed with a Puritan society can destroy a Minister. Puritans of all statures are throwing stones' at the minister. "Something must surely be amiss with Mr. Hooper's intellects, observed her husband, the physician of the village. But the strangest part of the affair is the effect of the vagary even on a sober-minded man like myself. The black veil, though it covers only our pastor's face, throws its influence over his whole person, and makes him ghost-like from head to foot.
