1-3 submitted on Socrative.
4. When Mr. Hooper leans over the casket of the dead body of a young girl, the body is said to have trembled. The only person who can attest to this unexplainable event is an old woman. Due to this, it seems as though Mr. Hooper has a connection with the dead girl, through which he gains a sense of either relief or sadness from her death.
5. Hawthorne uses the use of this juxtaposition to further contrast dark and light throughout the story. The joining together of two in holy matrimony represents the "light" aspect of the story; the death of a young girl symbolizes the "dark" aspect of the story. He tries to further persuade his audience that not all humans are good through putting the preacher in suspicious situations, thus leading the audience to believe that he has something to hide.
6. Hawthorne quite clearly is at the least of average intelligence, thus leading the reader to believe that he was very aware of his rhetoric. He is meticulous in his choice of diction and syntax throughout his work. He clearly has a meaning behind every word used, not just a "space filler". Through the use of many rhetorical strategies, such as symbolism, irony, and imagery, Hawthorne smoothly interjects his argument in an appealing nature that would allow his audience to continue reading, rather than coming right out and stating his opinion and having the audience immediately reject it.
7. For a reader with no prior knowledge of Hawthorne's beliefs, it can be inferred through his tone and choice of word in his writing that he is against the principals set forth by Transcendentalists. His main criticisms of transcendentalism are the ideas that all humans are good and the idea of light and dark. For example, Hawthorne uses a priest, thought to be the most pure of man, as a symbol of irony by placing him in a suspicious and somewhat devious situation. He also turns a very joyous occasion, a wedding, and creates a sense of darkness by placing the minister in a black veil. This veil was given so much power over the mood of the wedding which is clearly seen when he states that "a cloud seemed to have rolled duskily from beneath the black crape". Instead of the wedding being a time of celebration and happiness he portrays it as a time of great fear and anxiety, thus representing his idea of darkness which directly contradicts transcendentalist views.
8. Hawthorne does an exceptional job in creating a sense of mystery and bewilderment in his writing. It is made clear throughout the piece that the minister has committed some sort of sin and has every intention on hiding it. It can be implied that the young girl could have been aware of this secret which could have resulted in her early demise. It is possible that the two could have been involved in some form of sexual relations with one another, thus causing the minister to go to extreme acts to keep it hidden, especially from his wife. This statement can be justified in the scene where the minister walks up to the young girl, laying cold and still in her casket, and leans in close to her to the point where his black veil covering his face drops. When the once live girl becomes face to face with this man, her body trembles. This could imply that the girl is scared of him or the memory of the sin committed. Either way, it is made clear that the minister has committed an act in which he intends on hiding from everyone. Hawthorne leaves his audience to ponder the possibilities and forms curiosity in their minds.
4. When Mr. Hooper leans over the casket of the dead body of a young girl, the body is said to have trembled. The only person who can attest to this unexplainable event is an old woman. Due to this, it seems as though Mr. Hooper has a connection with the dead girl, through which he gains a sense of either relief or sadness from her death.
5. Hawthorne uses the use of this juxtaposition to further contrast dark and light throughout the story. The joining together of two in holy matrimony represents the "light" aspect of the story; the death of a young girl symbolizes the "dark" aspect of the story. He tries to further persuade his audience that not all humans are good through putting the preacher in suspicious situations, thus leading the audience to believe that he has something to hide.
6. Hawthorne quite clearly is at the least of average intelligence, thus leading the reader to believe that he was very aware of his rhetoric. He is meticulous in his choice of diction and syntax throughout his work. He clearly has a meaning behind every word used, not just a "space filler". Through the use of many rhetorical strategies, such as symbolism, irony, and imagery, Hawthorne smoothly interjects his argument in an appealing nature that would allow his audience to continue reading, rather than coming right out and stating his opinion and having the audience immediately reject it.
7. For a reader with no prior knowledge of Hawthorne's beliefs, it can be inferred through his tone and choice of word in his writing that he is against the principals set forth by Transcendentalists. His main criticisms of transcendentalism are the ideas that all humans are good and the idea of light and dark. For example, Hawthorne uses a priest, thought to be the most pure of man, as a symbol of irony by placing him in a suspicious and somewhat devious situation. He also turns a very joyous occasion, a wedding, and creates a sense of darkness by placing the minister in a black veil. This veil was given so much power over the mood of the wedding which is clearly seen when he states that "a cloud seemed to have rolled duskily from beneath the black crape". Instead of the wedding being a time of celebration and happiness he portrays it as a time of great fear and anxiety, thus representing his idea of darkness which directly contradicts transcendentalist views.
8. Hawthorne does an exceptional job in creating a sense of mystery and bewilderment in his writing. It is made clear throughout the piece that the minister has committed some sort of sin and has every intention on hiding it. It can be implied that the young girl could have been aware of this secret which could have resulted in her early demise. It is possible that the two could have been involved in some form of sexual relations with one another, thus causing the minister to go to extreme acts to keep it hidden, especially from his wife. This statement can be justified in the scene where the minister walks up to the young girl, laying cold and still in her casket, and leans in close to her to the point where his black veil covering his face drops. When the once live girl becomes face to face with this man, her body trembles. This could imply that the girl is scared of him or the memory of the sin committed. Either way, it is made clear that the minister has committed an act in which he intends on hiding from everyone. Hawthorne leaves his audience to ponder the possibilities and forms curiosity in their minds.