I’ve decided to change Words Wednesday slightly and instead take one word from a story I have read and discuss it. The word of the week today is from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, The Minister’s Black Veil.
Parable- A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels. (google definition)
The Minister’s Black Veil is described as a parable in the subtitle. This is a short story about Minister Hooper. Although previously loved by his congregation, he begins wearing a black veil one day, and they quickly turn against him, experiencing horror instead of happiness at his sight. Overall, the story was very interesting and I think it did have a good moral message, although the writing is a bit difficult given that it was written in the 1800s.
The reason which Hawthorne called this a parable in the title is to inform his readers before they start that there is a reason that he is writing; it is not to entertain, but to teach people a moral lesson. Personally, before I started this story, I had no idea what this word meant, although I must admit I’ve seen it before, and just not bothered to look it up. It was only after reading the first time that I glanced at the title and realized that I had no idea what a parable is. After a quick google search, I instantly realized exactly how it related to this story, and it gave me a much deeper understanding of the word as a whole.
Remember, the challenge, as always, is to use this word in a piece of your own writing over the week, or try to find it in a story you’ve read. If you do, comment below and share!
Pic creds: https://deebrestin.com/2015/06/proverbs-and-parables-summer-study-1/
Write Through the Night 