The Significance Of Mankind In Rappaccini's Daughter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
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People tend to be naturally optimistic or pessimistic. They either see the good and positive side of a situation, or they see the negative, more evil side to things. Nathaniel Hawthorne was certainly a pessimist, as evident throughout his writings. He often wrote of people with a dark tone that showed the evil essence of their character. Hawthorne believed in the naturally evil essence of mankind. “Rappaccini’s Daughter”, “The Minister’s Black Veil” and “Young Goodman Brown” are all Hawthorne books that demonstrate his personal reflections concerning the evil essence of mankind.
In “Rappaccini’s Daughter” Hawthorne’s pessimistic view of mankind is evident throughout the entire book. Almost every living thing in “Rappaccini’s Daughter” has an…show more content… He never took it off, not even for sleep. His black veil made a significant impression on the people of his congregation. Some said that his eyes were sore, some laughed about it and brushed it off, but most people felt that it signified a deep, dark secret that the Reverend was hiding. This black veil separated Reverend Hooper from humanity. His fiancée left him because she could not stand the look of it. The townspeople feared the veil and Reverend Hooper because they could not figure out what the creepy black veil represented. In fact, the veil represented the evil that every man carries with him throughout his life. Hawthorne’s image of the black veil and the desertion that surrounded Hooper when he wore it show how Hawthorne believed that man’s natural essence was of an evil nature. The veil represented secret sins, and when Reverend Hooper wore the veil to bring the sins to light, people shuddered away from him. The black veil depicts the evil essence of mankind that Hawthorne emphasized in many of his