Reflection- The Minister's Black Veil

For tonight's reflection blog, we were required to read the story The Minister's Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne.  Personally, I did not think that this story was a bad as the last one.  I thought it was much better written and much more interesting to read.  I think that Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Minister's Black Veil definitely portrayed many characteristics of the Dark Romanticism time period.  One thing that was talked about in class was moral conflict.  In the story, the minister always has this black piece of crepe over the upper half of his face so that no one can see his facial features.  No one in the entire town knew what to think or why he could possibly be wearing this gloomy veil over his face.  As the story goes on and the minister's lover (I am not quite sure if they were just boyfriend and girlfriend or actually married...I got confused) says that she will refuse to see him anymore unless he tells her what the veil is all about or simply why he is wearing it, the reader can see that the ministers does not fully believe that the veil was totally his conscious decision.  He is also seeing the world with its own black veil.  He notices how his loved ones, the adults, and the children of the town avoid him and talk about him behind his back.  This could have all been fixed if he had only released the mystery of the black veil upon his head.  Another characteristic of the Dark Romanticism style of writing that is seen in Nathaniel Hawthorn's The Minister's Black Veil is the essence of gloom or darkness...hence, "Dark" Romanticism.  To the people who lay their eyes on the black crepe, the feeling of dread or sorrow overpowers them.  It is like a dark cloud is coming out from behind the veil and casting a shadow on all of the world.  The people in the story talk about how dreadful it makes the minister look, and it even seems to darken the demeanor of his sermons.  Another way that darkness or gloom could be found would be the feelings the ministers had whenever people began to shun him.  I mean, the love of his life ran out of the door because she was so overcome with dark emotions and no one will talk to him!  It is a given that he is not going to be in a happy place.  I think that the feeling of mystery and suspense could also go along with the essence of darkness in The Minister's Black Veil.  The reader really does not know the true purpose of the black crepe veil throughout the entire story.  The minister does give a few hints here and there, like when he was talking to his lady friend about how he could not take it off, but even when he is dead the veil never comes off.  The suspense behind the plot carries the story to keep the reader interested.