Written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and first published in 1836, the 'Minister's Black Veil' is a short and very dark story that, in my opinion, has undergone MEGA over-analysis. I am probably guilty of over-simplifying but I believe the black veil refers to the sin of murder and even though Mr. Hooper knows he is a deranged psychopath who charades as the good town Minister, he is forced realize that . . . the black veil offers him no concealment. Even the town children recognize he is evil, born without conscience and a monster in every sense of the word. Just my own random analysis.