Journal #7

Michelle Romero
Dr. Scott Lankford,
English 48A

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne

"In truth, his own antipathy to the veil was known to be so great, that he never willingly passed before a mirror, nor stooped to drink at a still fountain, lest, in its peaceful bosom, he should be affrighted by himself" (1317-18).

This passage refers to Mr. Hooper's actions in regard to the black veil he wore. Apparently, he could not stand the sight of the black veil or what it represented, and that is why he did not look in the mirror.

There is so much to interpret from this passage, but lets go for the clean version first. This passage somewhat echos Aristotle's famous quote: "The unexamined life is not worth living." While Aristotle believed that people should examine their life to find the faults in order to improve them, Hawthorne portrays how easily people can go about their day conciously or unconciously avoiding self-reflection. In fact, he takes it a step further by depiciting how horrible the self appears by using the image of the black veil and describing the "fright" of it.

Now, for my queer analysis....
I think this passage describes the internal "pent-up" feelings of a gay man in the closet, and the veil that is between him and soceity which hinders him from coming out. I am also willing to acknowledge the possibility that he is describing the frustration and struggle to refrain from sex as a minister, without regard to gener.

For one, he was disgusted by the veil, so that fact shows his frustration at the situation which separates him from his community. The passage also says that Mr. Hooper never stopped to look at a mirror, "nor stooped to drink at a still fountain, lest, in its peaceful bosom, he should be affrighted by himself." Two things are said here: 1) what he finds in his reflection and at the still fountain is peaceful and 2) what he finds at the still fountain reminds him of how different or separated he is from his community.

In support of my sex theory, any freudian will tell you that still water is perhaps symbolic of the peaceful orgasmic state one reaches in sex, and Mr. Hooper is describing his coming to drink at the still fountain a "peaceful bosom." Hawthorne's choice of word "bosom" reaffirms this freudian interpretation to suggest that Mr. Hooper was struggling to refrain from sex and possibly even sex with other men. In addition, the fact that Hawthorne uses the reflection of a mirror in this passage implies that this Mr. Hooper, at the still water, is the true Mr. Hooper, his true reflection, his true person. And yet, this black veil separates him from his community so that they never know him.

In a way, the black veil make represent social laws or etiquette that separate people from being real with one another.