The Birth Mark By Nathaniel Hawthorne - 1730 Words

Hawthorne illustrates an awe-inspiring example of how human imperfection is natural and the way we are created is how we shall remain, perfectly imperfect. It is difficult not to consider the world today and how much plastic surgeons profit and customers pay, just to reflect an ideal image. This story is published in the eighteenth century, which depicts a mad scientist (Aylmer) who claims to have the ability to create perfection in the imperfect, Godly creation of his wife (Georgiana). The marriage union is without happiness because of a small birthmark on Georgiana’s cheek, which Aylmer aspires to eliminate with his impeccable scientific expertise. In his short story â€Å"The Birth-Mark,† Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates how an obsession†¦show more content†¦Georgiana’s birth-mark is also crimson, Hawthorne foreshadows the danger in relation to the disappearance or elimination of the specific color. For Aylmer, the obsessive need to remove the spe cifically colored mark ends the life of his wife; For Hawthorne and Sophia, the loss of the exact color presents apprehension and the end of life as they know it. When the desire for perfection becomes more important than life itself, this proves a greater flaw within character. Aylmer has a dream of removing the mark, which leads to the death of Georgiana, his wife. In Aylmer’s mind, the mark represents â€Å"his wife’s liability to sin, sorrow, decay and death† (Hawthorne 341). For this reason, he feels the urge to remove it immediately. As time passes, Georgiana begins to â€Å"shudder at his gaze† (341). She grows to hate the mark that she once felt brought her beauty and charm. Georgiana’s eagerness to eliminate the mark grows stronger than Aylmer’s because she yearns for him to look at her with adoration rather than disgust. The dream, which Aylmer pays little mind, foreshadows the end result’s reality. Aylmer does indeed kill his wife by removal of the birth-mark. He causes the mark to vanish, but as it fades, so does her life. In essence, the goal to possess other worldly perfe ction is impossible and not human, in an attempt to create this type of perfection, life can beShow MoreRelatedThe Birth Mark By Nathaniel Hawthorne821 Words   |  4 Pages The Birth-Mark was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the story follows of a scientist who is named Aylmer, and the scientist retires in the field of science for the search of marriage and love. When Aylmer finds a suitable wife that he would fancy for himself, the scientist notices that his wife had a birthmark on her face that represented a tiny hand print. This birthmark actually makes Aylmer becomes obsessive about the mark itself to the point of confronting Aylmer’s wife. Aylmer eventually convincesRead MoreAnalysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Birth Mark 1784 Words   |  8 Pages Nathaniel Hawthorne was seen as â€Å"a major figure in the American romantic movement† (Constantakis 1). Additionally, â€Å"Hawthorne created allegories of the dark, irredeemable human condition, a poin t of view most likely traceable to the author’s New England Puritan roots† (Constantakis 2). Concerning Hawthorne’s writing style, he often focused on â€Å"concrete particulars his tales elevate into symbols,† and his works â€Å"speak from and to the unconscious that people dream their way into every nightRead MoreNature in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Birth-Mark and Wilfred Owens Disabled1428 Words   |  6 PagesFreedom is an entity that people desire to have in life. Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Birth-Mark and Wilfred Owens in Disabled both have similar plots about two peoples concern for nature. Nathaniel Hawthorne The Birth-Mark focuses on the importance of nature. In the story â€Å"The Birth-Mark,† nature is said to be the most compelling thing man has made. The main character Aylmer, a scientist, is obsessed with perfection and nature. Aylmer is trying to live a life of fantasy because of his desire for perfectionRead MoreThe Puritan Effect170 3 Words   |  7 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne is respected as â€Å"one of the great masters of American Fiction† (â€Å"Hawthorne, Nathaniel† 363). He is an accomplished author who wrote novels as well as children’s literature. However, Hawthorne’s strength is American short story; his â€Å"haunting† tales are undeniably responsible for establishing this genre as a â€Å"significant art form† (â€Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne† Columbia 1). He is known for his â€Å"penetrating explorations† of the conflicts within one’s conscience and the consequences thatRead MoreHawthornes Quest for Perfection761 Words   |  4 Pagesand not what is on the outside. While critics argue that Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Birth Mark,† â€Å"Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment,† and â€Å"Rappaccinni’s Daughter† stand as an overt commentary on nature vs. science, Hawthorne actually uses these works to explore personal f amilial connections. First of all, these three short stores deal with nature and science, but when one delves deeper into the stories, it becomes apparent that Hawthorne actually explores relationships among family members. These three works ofRead MoreBirthday Mark by Nathaniel Hawthorne1146 Words   |  5 Pageschallenged scientists of the nineteenth century. Nathaniel Hawthorne writes of some challenges that man could run into during the exploration and application of new technology in The Birthmark. These challenges are not entirely physical but they are more so about an internal struggle within Victorian mindsets. In The Birthmark there are only three characters: Aylmer, a scientist, Georgiana, Aylmer’s wife, and Aminadab, Aylmer’s lab assistant. Hawthorne isolates the characters in their caste to presentRead More Romanticism in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown, The Birthmark, and Rappaccinis Daughter1065 Words   |  5 PagesRomanticism in Young Goodman Brown, The Birth-Mark, a nd Rappaccinis Daughter  Ã‚  Ã‚      Nathaniel Hawthorne gives his own definition of romanticism in the preface to The House of Seven Gables. According to Hawthorne, the writer of a romance may claim a certain latitude and may deepen and enrich the shadows of the picture, as long as he does not swerve aside from the truth of the human heart. The writer of a romance will be wise...to mingle the Marvelous as long as he does it to a slightRead MoreThe Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne1175 Words   |  5 Pages Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer who was born in Salem, Massachusetts July fourth 1804. When Hawthorne was a young man he served as the editor of the American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge. That job introduced him into the world of writing and at that point he decided what he wanted to do until the day he died. â€Å"I do not want to be a doctor and live by men’s diseases, nor a minister to live by their sins, nor a lawyer and live by their quarrelsRead More Analysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Salem Witch 1328 Words   |  6 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne was an American writer known for his part in the transcendentalist literary movement. Born July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts, to Nathaniel Hathorne Sr and Elizabeth Manning, he later chose to alter his last name in an attempt to distinguish himself from the history his family held in the Salem witch trials. His father died at a very young age, so Nathaniel was raised solely by his mother. In a quote kept from his adolescent years, Hawthorne states, â€Å"I do not want to be a doctorRead More Alienation and Moral Dilemma as Portrayed by Nathaniel Hawthorne1869 Words   |  8 PagesAlienation and Moral Dilemma as Portrayed by Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorn was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804 during Puritan times. He created many stories that reflect his life experiences growing up as a Puritan. He writes stories that end with a moral that was learned through the struggles of the characters. These characters are almost always faced with a dilemma where they must choose what is right versus what is wrong. Another common theme in his writing is alienation