In Hawthorne's The Minister's Black Veil, literal and figurative language had a great relevance to the story. The use of personification and similes improved upon the understanding of the story. The veil was often personified to seem as if it had its own action, like a human. During Mr. Hooper's sermon, the veil shook with his measured breath, threw its obscurity between him and the holy page, and lay heavily on his uplifted countenance (Hawthorne 320). Hawthorne's use of language makes his writings unique and interesting. Another impact occurred during the wedding when Hooper raised his glass wishing happiness to the newlywed couple the brightened the features of the guests like a cheerful gleam from the hearth (Hawthorne 322), and the veil once again came to life and cast a tide of gloominess upon the ceremony.
The central theme held the essential interpretations about life. Hawthorne tries to tell that everyone has their own black veil, which symbolizes one's secret sins in life that is not lifted until death. The concept of the black veil in The Minister's Black Veil is similar to the scarlet "A" in The Scarlet Letter. In both of these pieces of Hawthorne, he uses an object to symbolize mortal sin, and although one tries to, there is no escape in sin. .
The plot of the story displayed a blueprint of related incidents. The author sagaciously gave strange events to lead to the climax, such as the funeral and wedding. Although some questions were left unanswered, such as what drove Hooper to wear the veil in the first place, it drives the reader to suspense and leaves the reader thinking. Each event helped further the mystery and effects of the veil. .
The development of the characters in the story was steps the reader took to come to know the characters as individuals with unique strengths and weaknesses and led the reader to become involved in the emotions. Hawthorne's portray of the characters made them seem very realistic because they, much like us, judged one another and were in the wrong of hypocrisy.
