Question

According to Father Hooper’s explanation at the end of “The Minister’s Black Veil,” what point is he trying to make by wearing the veil for most of his life?

He means to show that everyone, not just he, has experienced sin and sorrow and should therefore try not to hide it from others or from God.
He has always meant the veil to be a showpiece for his ministry that would get people talking about his sermons and increase church attendance.
Though he has always been considered a good preacher, his sermons are mild, not powerful, so he has put on the veil when he preaches in order to instill the fear of God in his listeners.
He has not wanted to damage the reputation of the church and of his ministry by revealing the terrible thing he has done before he entered the ministry.

Answer 1

I believe that the best answer for this question is the first one, that the minister has experienced sin and sorrow along with everyone else. He cries out, "and Lo! On every visage a black veil!" to illustrate that everyone is equal in the ways that they have sinned and the pain they have experienced; no one is immune. You can also determine that this is the answer by eliminating the other answers; none of them really make sense. I hope this helps.