pardoned. Judge Danforth explains why this would by hypocritical saying, “Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part; reprieve or pardon must cast doubt upon the guilt of them that died till now” (124). By the time that Salem, Massachusetts realized how clouded its judgement had become, and how hypocritical they were, it was too late for the innocent to be saved. The community in The Minister’s Black Veil never opened its eyes and saw the hypocrisy in its actions. Throughout the story, Reverend Hooper tried to explain that any of the suggested reasons for his donning the veil could be reasons for any mortal to do the same. For example, the minister explained to Elizabeth, “If I hide my face for sorrow, there is cause enough, and if I cover it for secret sin, what mortal might not do the same?” (Hawthorne, The Minister’s Black Veil 109). The Reverend could never relay the message to anyone else that whatever he was hiding was symbolic of a fault in everyone. Therefore the community was hypocritical in making Hooper an outcast, when they did not treat the same sin in each other with the same disgust. In his dying speech, Reverend Hooper once more tries to show this asking, “Why do you tremble at me alone? Tremble also at each other! I look around me, and lo! On every visage a Black Veil!” (114). Reverend Hooper lived his life and suffered the punishment inflicted by himself and especially from others to teach a lesson. He saw the hypocrisy in the world that people feared those who had something different or something to hide. Reverend Hooper recognized a need to accept people for their whole selves, and that no one should try to be flawless in the eyes of others or the eyes of God. Authors of the Puritan era, including the writers of The Scarlet Letter, The Crucible, and The Minister’s Black Veil criticized society’s use of punishment, intolerance, and hypocris...
