The Minister's Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a story of guilt, humility, sin, hypocrisy, love, combined emotional stability, and the trials of life. It is a gothic literary work of art that depicts the complexity of emotions and the psychological give and take that occurs when processing and managing any human emotion. The gothic writing style that Hawthorne uses in The Minister's Black Veil makes it easy for him to focus on one main emotion: guilt. Hawthorne is no stranger to guilt, which is why he discusses its nature so much. The Hawthorne families, formally known as the Hathorne, were involved in the Salem witch trials and carried the shame and guilt of their families' decisions with them through generations. Throughout this story, guilt is a major concern for all the characters involved: the minister, the minister's boyfriend, and the townspeople. Hawthorne uses gothic tones and descriptions to define and describe the natural human feeling of guilt. Hawthorne's main character is the minister, Mr. Parson Hooper, described as “…a gentlemanly person of about thirty years of age…he was dressed with due clerical cleanliness. ..and swept the weekly dust from his Sunday dress” (2431). In Hawthorne's portrait, Mr. Hooper is described as a calculating man. Hooper's rigorous schedule and precision show that he was a man of routine with which the community was familiar. Hawthorne's reference to Hooper's rigid routine communicates to the reader that the citizens are not accustomed to change. It is also suggested that his routine gave citizens a sense of security. Hawthorne then dramatically alters the tone of the piece with a small symbol: a piece of cloth. When Hawthorne introduces this extremely significant representation: “…Mr....... in the center of the sheet...... their commitment so that Hooper did not want to show his face. The idea that she would never be able to look at her husband and bond with him was too much for her to bear and she let him go. Mr. Hooper went to the grave with his veil. On his deathbed, when he was asked to remove his veil, he refused and became angry at the thought of the curiosity of others. She wanted the community to know and made it clear that her veil was physical but their veil was still worn. He claimed he could see their black veil even though no one except him was wearing one. His sin in his face was a message to the world that he was accepting responsibility and consequences for his decisions. He suffered for it. He was ridiculed and mocked. Even though this happened, he kept his commitment. Her veil did not leave her face even after death. Parson Hooper took his guilt to the grave.