How does the theme of man vs. society affect Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Minister's Black Veil" and "Rappaccini's Daughter"?

It is
important to remember that the theme of man versus society is an external conflict in which
thestruggles against the rules or conventions of the society in which he or she lives. In this
way, the author is often able to criticize that society. Hawthorne was consistently critical of
the Puritan society that had been a part of his family history and the history of the United
States. He sought to show the hypocritical nature of many of the Puritan doctrines. In "
," he shows how the Puritans view original sin. For the Puritans, original sin was not just
the sin that every human inherited from Adam and Eve. They held on to the Calvinist view that
only God knew who was worthy of being saved. Puritans lived as if they were the
"saved." In the story, the black veil is a symbol of the original sin that all humans
have, but it becomes the target of the congregation. In this way, the congregation becomes the
active sinners, the hypocrites who will not...