Tone, in literature, refers specifically to the author's feelings about the subject of a text. We can typically use other aspects of the text -- characterization, mood, theme, connotation -- to help us determine its tone. In this particular story, I think the characterization of Mr. Hooper is especially helpful in ascertaining the tone.
The parson is a thoughtful man and devoted to his principles: a good spiritual leader. He is willing to endure becoming a relative outcast, avoided and feared by his congregation because he feels compelled to point out something that no one else is brave enough to face themselves, let alone share with others. By the story's end, Mr. Hooper has worn the veil for many decades, and, on his deathbed, he is angered by his community's hope that he will now consent to remove it because their desire shows that they still refuse to understand the veil's meaning: it is a symbol of the fact that all humans are sinful but that we try to hide our true sinful natures from the world, including ourselves.
By characterizing Mr. Hooper in such a positive way, it seems that Hawthorne would agree with his assessment of human nature. Further, by characterizing some others, especially his fiancee Elizabeth, as capable of understanding the veil's meaning but willing to pretend to live in a more comfortable ignorance, Hawthorne shows us that Mr. Hooper is right. Thus, the tone of the piece is quite sad and yet resigned. It is tragic that none of us can really know our fellows because we all insist on hiding our true, sinful, selves; however, Hawthorne seems to think that such a state of humanity is practically unavoidable because the vast majority of us are too cowardly to own up to these true natures.
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