The meaning of the black veil is ambiguous. In general, it represents Original Sin, which mars every human being. In wearing the black veil, Mr. Hooper makes this sin—whether his own personal sin, or humankind’s—visible to all, thus making the statement that people should not deny their sins to each other or to themselves. Rather, they should open themselves up to their loved ones and to God. His horror at his reflection when he wears the black veil—and the people’s fear of him—reinforces the idea that the black veil represents their sinfulness.

From the moment Mr. Hooper appears in his black veil, which he will never remove, the people see him differently. It casts a gloom over his appearance and frightens the residents. Though he is usually seen as an adequate speaker, on that day, his sermon, on the subject of the secret sin, seems to have more power than usual. As Mr. Hooper speaks about how we hide our sin from each other but cannot hide it from God, the people feel as if he has “discovered their hoarded iniquity of deed or thought” (3). One woman is so overcome that she walks out of the church.