The Veiled Minister and. . . Lady Gaga?

Lady Gaga: Born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta on March 26, 1986.

Through the seemingly infinite knowledge of Wikepedia and my own intuitive response to the reading, I discovered a key point of Dark Romanticism that also appears in The Minister's Black Veil:"Dark Romantics present individuals as prone to sin and self-destruction." In relation to Hawthorne's works, Wikepedia also informs us that: "His themes often center on the inherent evil and sin of humanity, and his works often have moral messages and deep psychological complexity." For those of us who have read it, TMBV absolutely fits this genre! I think the character of the preacher was defined within that last description of Hawthorne's writing.

Among some of the first responses of the congregation to Hooper's black veil was this:"The black veil, though it covers only our pastor's face, throws its influence over his whole person, and makes him ghostlike from head to foot. Do you not feel it so?'' The entire congregation is affected by this simple garment and the mystery behind it. "Each member of the congregation, the most innocent girl, and the man of hardened breast, felt as if the preacher had crept upon them, behind his awful veil, and discovered their hoarded iniquity of deed or thought." I think the most important fact to make about the veil itself is that it represents the unknown, or "the Other," which will always strike fear and doubt in the hearts of everyone else.

First of all, it was not a normal thing to hide your face. People who wear masks are weird, for one. Remember Lady Gaga and her unforgettable performance at the VMAs? I mean, she was of course eccentric before that little stunt, but the simple truth of the matter is that people who hide their face, hide their EYES, tend to come off as untrustworthy, even scary. What is that old saying?: The eyes are the window to the soul?

So what exactly is little miss Gaga trying to hide here?

"He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face.'' At least that's what members of the church said about Mr. Hooper. The revelation of the mask comes later in the story, in Mr. Hooper's conversation with his wife, when he says: "I, perhaps, like most other mortals, have sorrows dark enough to be typified by a black veil."

So this is it, my friends. This is what it all comes down to. Mr. Hooper feels so much guilt and humiliation from his sins that cannot be seen by men that he feels some sort of obligation to display an outward symbol of his wickedness. While "normal" members of society put on a smile and walk around like they are blameless, he in fact seeks to attone for his sins by humbling himself and wearing this "letter A." But does this necessarily make him an evil character? NO WAY!! He's just a man attempting to wear his heart on his sleeve, which is a characteristic I would think to be admirable in a minister. They're people too, and there is a lot of pressure for them to be perfect servants of God.

Does this mean Lady Gaga is the next Billy Graham?. . .

ALSO, GO TEAM COOPER!!!! YAY-YEAH!!

Talking in Circles. . .

Nature centres into balls,
And her proud ephemerals,
Fast to surface and outside,
Scan the profile of the sphere;
Knew they what that signified,
A new genesis were here.

I think we talked about this in class, but the epigraph at the beginning of this poem is summing up the meaning of the text that follows. I never knew what an epigraph was, so I am proud to add another "smart word" to my vocabulary!!! (Thank you, Julie!!).

Throughout the text, Emerson reiterates his point that the circle is "the highest emblem in the cipher of the world." He makes several connections between nature and man, saying that circles or spheres are the very centers or elements that create life. They are the beginning and the end of all things, and every action, decision, path we take is displayed through these shapes and leave behind proof of their being within ripples. Emerson's main themes consist of an idealistic approach that everything in this life is interconnected, and one element cannot move without influencing another. He also feels that the thoughts of man can drive the genesis or creation of circles, and he exemplifies this through his statement: "Our life is an apprenticeship to the truth, that around every circle another can be drawn; that there is no end in nature, but every end is a beginning; that there is always another dawn risen on mid-noon, and under every deep a lower deep opens."

Knowing what we do about Emerson's creation of "man thinking," I think it's pretty safe to say that these thoughts are inter-connected. There cannot be evolution of circles without first the evolution of man's thoughts, and the challenges he faces to expand his mind past the natural world as we know it. "The key to every man is his thought." So basically, whatever truth man seeks, whatever methods he uses to further his thinking, man's thoughts are connected to every circle, and the circles are without end. "Scan the profile of the sphere; knew they what that signified, a new genesis was here." One must recognize what each circle signifies if we mean to expand or develop their meaning.

All this talk of circles is making me dizzy-- red rover, anyone?