You have asked an excellent question because it identifies
what a versatile symbol the black veil that Mr. Hooper dons is. There are a variety of
symbolic meanings that can be applied to the black veil, and it is never precisely
specified what the specific meaning is. However, the veil could symbolise Hooper's own
secret sin, the sins of his parishioners, and/or Hooper's and everyone's isolation from
God. Consider Hooper's last words:
"I look around me, and, lo! on every visage a
Black Veil!"
Hooper here
suggests that people's own sins cause them to react with fear and horror to the veil,
making the symbol all the more awful. This is an impression that is certainly borne out
by the story, for when the a group of churchgoers try to confront Hooper about his veil,
they are unable to:
Thus they sat a considerable time, speechless,
confused, and shrinking uneasily from Mr. Hooper's eye, which they felt to be fixed upon
them with an invisible
glance.
It is implied that
the veil in some way condemns them for their own sin or confronts them with a truth that
they do not want to face, and thus they are unable to confront Hooper
directly.
For Elizabeth, the fiancee of Hooper, it is clear
that she at first interprets the veil as a symbol of some secret sin of
Hooper:
"Beloved and respected as you are, there may be
whispers, that you hide your face under the consciousness of secret sin. For the sake of
your holy office, do away this
scandal!"
Yet, by the end of
the story it is clear that her continued presence nursing him indicates a change of mind
- she has come to understand the symbol as something that applies not just to Hooper but
to all humanity.
It is clear therefore that the meaning of
the veil is ambiguous, and it certainly changes through the story and depending on the
character who is trying to interpret this symbol. However, it can be implied that Hooper
himself has donned this veil as a symbol of the universal condition of humanity that
will remain separate from God until their death.
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