The Minister's Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne The cause of so much amazement may appear sufficiently slight. Mr. Hooper, a gentlemanly person of about thirty, though still a bachelor, was dressed with due clerical neatness, as if a careful wife had starched his band and brushed the weekly dust from his Sunday’s garb. There was but one thing remarkable in his appearance. Swathed about his forehead and hanging down over his face, so low as to be shaken by his breath, Mr. Hooper had on a black veil. On a nearer view it seemed to consist of two folds of crape, which entirely concealed his features except the mouth and chin, but probably did not intercept his sight further than to give a darkened aspect to all living and inanimate things. With this gloomy shade before him good Mr. Hooper walked onward at a slow and quiet pace, stooping somewhat and looking on the ground, as is customary with abstracted men, yet nodding kindly to those of his parishioners who still waited on the meeting-house steps. But so wonder-struck were they that his greeting hardly met with a return. . . . [Mr. Hooper] entered with an almost noiseless step, bent his head mildly to the pews on each side and bowed as he passed his oldest parishioner, a white-haired great-grandsire, who occupied an arm-chair in the centre of the aisle. It was strange to observe how slowly this venerable man became conscious of something singular in the appearance of his pastor. He seemed not fully to partake of the prevailing wonder till Mr. Hooper had ascended the stairs and showed himself in the pulpit, face to face with his congregation except for the black veil. That mysterious emblem was never once withdrawn. It shook with his measured breath as he gave out the psalm, it threw its obscurity between him and the holy page as he read the Scriptures, and while he prayed the veil lay heavily on his uplifted countenance. Did he seek to hide it from the dread Being whom he was addressing? . . . 1 of 2 Question Use the passage from “The Minister’s Black Veil” to answer the question. How does the author communicate the theme of hidden sin? (1 point) Responses by describing the pace of the minister and congregation as they enter the church by describing the pace of the minister and congregation as they enter the church by emphasizing the congregation's reaction to the appearance of the minister by emphasizing the congregation's reaction to the appearance of the minister by comparing Mr. Hooper's general style of preaching to the themes of his present sermon by comparing Mr. Hooper's general style of preaching to the themes of his present sermon by showing Mr. Hooper as wearing his transgressions literally through the black veil
I apologize for the incorrect response. Allow me to try again.
The author communicates the theme of hidden sin by showing Mr. Hooper as wearing his transgressions literally through the black veil. The passage describes how Mr. Hooper is dressed with "due clerical neatness" but also has the black veil swathed around his forehead, concealing his features except for his mouth and chin. This physical representation of the veil symbolizes the hidden sin or guilt that Mr. Hooper carries.