The Minister’s Black Veil

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Minister’s Black Veil: Setting 1 key example

Definition of Setting

Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or it can be an imagined... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the... read full definition
Setting
Explanation and Analysis:

“The Minister’s Black Veil” is set in the town of Milford, Massachusetts, in Puritan New England. The Puritans settled in Massachusetts in the early 1600s and were known for their strict religious beliefs and emphasis on proper, moral behavior. Anything that was seen as a frivolous distraction from their faith, such as drinking, gambling, swearing, theater, and even the wearing of bright colors, tended to be frowned upon by the Puritans. When the Puritans separated from the Church of England, it was because they wanted to “purify” it from what they saw as the latent vestiges of Catholicism in its practices.