Abstract This paper compares and contrasts how the theme of man's appreciation of beauty is handled in each of two stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne, "The Birthmark" and "Rappaccini's Daughter".
From the Paper "Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Birthmark" and "Rappaccini's Daughter" both deal with man's pursuit of beauty yet his failure to recognize true beauty when he finds it in nature. Instead man always tries to improve on what he has and often with ..."
Abstract This paper analyzes two works of literature that explore the destructive fascination for science and nature: Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Birthmark." It discusses the characters of Alymer and Frankenstein, both men of science, and how they are responsible for their fate.
Tags: Frankenstein, The Birthmark, Alymer, Hawthorne, Shelley, Prometheus
Abstract This paper explains that Nathaniel Hawthorne lived at a time when science was viewed with equal parts awe and suspicion. Hawthorne was, in fact the descendant of a Protestant minister which may have led to the cautionary tone of his works when writing of science. The paper examines how this cautionary tone is evident in "The Birthmark" and is made apparent by Hawthorne's use of symbolism in the story.
From the Paper "The birthmark in question is a tiny strawberry mark in the shape of a "singular mark" that "bore not a little similarity to a human hand" (Hawthorne 3). Hawthorne's narrator suggests that this tiny hand was a fairy mark. However, given that the union between Aylmer and Georgiana was deemed a spiritual one and that the mark was "deeply interwoven [. . .] with the texture and substance of her face" the power behind that hand would seem to be a much greater one indeed."
Abstract The paper examines Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "The Birthmark", which explores a variety of paradoxes through its setting, characters, and plot. The paper discusses how Hawthorne uses these paradoxes to comment on deeper issues of humanity. In particular, "The Birthmark" highlights the contrasts between perfection and imperfection, real and artificial, and the earthly and the spiritual. The writer proposes that Hawthorne's overall point is that life must include paradox and opposition in order to make it worth living, that people are always struggling and attempting to change and improve things. Hawthorne suggests that this may be absolutely futile.
From the Paper "Alymer wants to control the earthly; he wants to manipulate and perfect it as scene through his own journal of his previous experiments. "In his grasp the veriest clod of earth assumed a soul" (Hawthorne 186). He wants to create something. Yet, he frequently fails. "It was the sad confession and continual exemplification of the shortcomings of the composite man, the spirit burdened with clay and working in matter, and of the despair that assails the higher nature at finding itself so miserably thwarted by the earthly part" (Hawthorne 186). Alymer is burdened and defeated by the earthly represented by both his wife and assistant. In the end, Georgiana's death is another example of his perpetual defeat. Aminadab, however, enjoys the defeat and chuckles to himself."
Abstract A look at Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Birthmark". The author analyzes and interprets the theme of human nature in the novel and other symbolic elements around this concept.
From the Paper "The Birthmark" explores a very intriguing and deep theme: man's attempts to transform nature in order to make it more perfect than it already is. Hawthorne goes into details into the subject of human mortality and the spiritual aspects of the scientific experimentations with the Nature's laws. He shows us that human intrusion into the universal wholeness and attempts to take control over nature can be unpredictable and often fatal.
Abstract This paper discusses the ideals of symbolism and analogies in comparison to Modern day America that are found in Nathanial Hawthorne's novel, ?The Birthmark.? The author examines some of these different themes including feminism, discrimination, physical and spiritual imperfection, decay and duplicity. The author feels that this is a very well-written commentary on society at the time.
From the Paper "From this perspective we may argue that the birthmark is used as a symbol of the inability of men to accept women on equal terms for themselves. Instead they need an idealistic visions of what they believe a woman should be, complete with all of the relevant social and societal trappings. A woman here is not a person, but an object or worship, and as such she is no longer a real person, but a non person that is the creation of the man's mind. This is a feminist perspective, but a valid notion on the way that men of the time sought to perceive women and reduce them to objects rather then accept them as equals."
Abstract This paper examines and analyzes the setting, mood, characters, and plot of Nathanial Hawthorne's "The Birthmark" and, through this analysis, explains how Hawthorne's story teaches us that boundaries not only exist between man and nature, but that they should also be respected.
From the Paper "This setting of "The Birthmark" serves as the perfect backdrop for the tale, taking place in the "latter part of the last century" (Hawthorne 600). Aylmer is a "man of science, an eminent proficient in every branch of natural philosophy" (600). While Aylmer was married man, it is difficult to assume that he was completely normal. In a time when the "mysteries of Nature seemed to open paths into the region of miracle, it was not unusual for the love of science to rival the love of woman in its depth and absorbing energy" (600). This key passage gives us insight into Aylmer's character. We know that while Aylmer is married, he is also very passionate about science. Nature, the narrator tells us, is on the brink of miracles, and this mentality is one that captures Aylmer and holds him like a prisoner."
Abstract This paper discusses how "The Birthmark" explores the notion of how religion and science can become confused when man oversteps his boundaries in the universe. It explains that Hawthorne successfully combines these two aspects through language, which serves to be the perfect foundation for discovery.
From the Paper "An example of how Hawthorne confuses science and religion with language can be seen when Aylmer tells his wife that her birthmark is a "visible mark of earthly imperfection" (601). In addition, we also know that Aylmer selected the mark as "the symbol of his wife's liability to sin, sorrow, decay, and death"(601). Here we see how Aylmer couples the mark with original sin and it is safe to assume that if he can remove it from her, she will be prefect not only physically but spiritually as well. Aylmer becomes consumed with the mark and even dreams of removing it. In his dream, he uses a knife to remove the mark and "the deeper went the knife, the deeper sank the hand, until at length its tiny grasp appeared to have caught hold of Georgiana's heart" (603). Aylmer is trying to make something spiritual out of something physical. Here we see how early in the story Hawthorne is linking religion with science to emphasize Alymer's obsession. In fact, his passion at times to take on a religious fervor. Another example of this can be seen when Aylmer speaks of removing the mark in terms of something like a miracle."
Abstract This paper discusses several of the themes in "The Birthmark," by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The writer explores how Hawthorne creates a complex story about the human psyche from the themes of the conflicts between science and nature, and between man and science. The paper also discusses the themes of morality, love, obsession, and madness. The writer concludes that obsession is ultimately the cause of Aylmer's and Georgiana's tragedy.
From the Paper "It was not Aylmer's disgust for his wife's birthmark that drove him to commenting on it and calling for its removal, it was his love for science and his need to prove that he could make something that nature made even better. In the very beginning of the story it states that Aylmer didn't even mind the birthmark until after they had been married. "Masculine observers, if the birthmark did not heighten their admiration, contented themselves with wishing it away, that the world might possess one living specimen of ideal loveliness, without the semblance of a flaw.""
Abstract This paper discusses how, throughout the story "The Birthmark", Hawthorne tells us that Puritan zeal is an evil and dangerous attitude, whether it is manifested through the capitalist's zeal for technological progress, or through the transcendentalist's zeal to spiritualize all acts and objects. The paper then endeavors to go beyond the simple interpretation which says that it is only a cautionary tale about science. It looks at how the protagonist is more truly characterized by Puritan zeal and how Hawthorne's protagonist is a scientist because the materialistic aspirations of the age had a large investment in science.
From the Paper "We must first consider the Puritan heritage of America, which is an abiding theme in Hawthorne's work as a whole. The Puritan forefathers has brought with then an intense Calvinist faith, which was instrumental in forming the character of the new nation. The central tenet of this faith was 'sole fide', or 'justification by faith alone'. Calvinism was a reaction against the institutional basis of Catholicism, and therefore aimed to establish a personal communion with God, the only means to which was faith in Jesus Christ, and in the Bible as the words of God addressed directly to the believer. The Calvinist doctrine implied predestination, so that the believer is marked out by being in a state of grace. Only with grace are the words of God meaningful, and it is through the Bible that God establishes communion with the believer, and therefore confirms to believer that he or she is without sin."
Abstract In this article, the writer contends that, in the "The Birthmark", Hawthorne is telling us that Puritan zeal is an evil and dangerous attitude, whether it be manifested through the scientist's zeal for absolute knowledge, or through the transcendentalist's zeal to spiritualize all acts and objects. The paper then endeavors to go beyond the simple interpretation which says that it is only a cautionary tale about science. The writer maintains that instead of being representative of experimental science, the protagonist is more truly characterized by Puritan zeal. The writer also shows how the story draws its inspiration from 'fairyland', and how its message is transmitted largely through allusion.
From the Paper "The birthmark of Georgina also serves as a symbol around which the story revolves. To Aylmer it is a consciously perceived symbol that signifies the limitations of the flesh. It reminds him that, however young and beautiful his wife appears to him, the youthfulness and beauty is subject to death and decay. He feels that without the birthmark there would be nothing to remind him of earthly imperfection, and the thought is the seed to a bolder contemplation that earthly matter is subject to perfection. When he imagines her without the birthmark he sees a picture of material perfection, and it spurs him on in the belief that science has the mean to perfect base matter. He has thus slipped from the realm of science into that of Alchemy, whose stated object is to transform base lead into pure gold. Aylmer's mistake is to misread the symbolic significance of the birthmark. If it truly denotes death and decay, it must also serve as a reminder that vigorous physical frame on which it appears depends on the blemish for its very existence."
Abstract Individuals define society. History recognizes the importance of individual members of society who stand out for good or bad reasons. Where would society be without individuals such as Abraham Lincoln or John Wilkes Booth? The paper explains that the first individual receives praise for saving a nation and ending slavery, the other became famous for the assassination of the first. No one would know who John Wilkes Booth was if it had not been for Lincoln's uniqueness in society. The individuals, the heroes, the villains, the loners, and the outcasts help define those societies that produce them. The paper shows that "Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving and ?The Birthmark? by Nathaniel Hawthorne are two stories about individuals that defined a society by their difference. "Rip Van Winkle" provides a story that relates to the American Revolution and the freedom from tyranny. "The Birthmark" explores the issue of how much humans can change nature and what the consequences of such attempts are.
From the Paper "The story of Rip Van Winkle represents the changes of American society during the Revolutionary War. There is sense of the old tyrannical government of Britain present in Dame Van Winkle. The death of Dame Van Winkle is symbolic of the end of the Revolutionary War. Rip, like America, escaped from the oppressive rule of another."
Abstract This paper is about the main character in Hawthorne's story "The Birthmark." The paper deals with Aylmer's quest to perfect nature through science. It includes an explanation of the significance of the allusion to Pygmalion in the story. The essay concludes with a look at the irony of Aylmer's wife being the one to realize the "truth" of the futility of the quest while her husband was the one who wanted to acquire the wisdom of the gods.
From the Paper "Aylmer, in Hawthorne's 'The Birthmark,' is described as a 'man of science' who wishes to 'lay his hand on the secret of creative force and perhaps make new worlds for himself' (359). The latter phrase drives Aylmer's ambitions and demonstrates his obsession with garnering power of the gods for himself. Convinced of the imperfection and the limitations of Nature, Aylmer shudders at the very thought of another 'hand' being pressed upon his precious wife's cheek. Aylmer, like Pygmalion, Prometheus, and Shelley's Victor Frankenstein, is interested in stealing the art of creating perfection; however, his perfection, unlike Pygmalion's statue brought to life, signifies death to an already living, breathing, and perfect creation of Nature. Georgiana's 'corruption' is not due to a birthmark, nor is it solely physical in nature by the story's end; she was neither doomed nor damned at conception, but rather by the expectations of her obsessive, imperfect husband of science."
Abstract This paper provides a comparison between John Updike's "A & P" and Nathanial Hawthorne's "The Birthmark". The main characters are analyzed as both are seen as striving for too much and too fast and losing touch with reality and the present.
From the Paper "John Updike's "A & P" and Nathanial Hawthorne's "The Birthmark" both focus on one incident in the life of a relationship, each in their own way using symbolism to show to us the ways in which by reaching too far and desiring too much of the future the men involved lose the present.
Updike's 1961 coming-of-age story follows a boy's thwarted attempts to impress a girl, showing in the end how this boy, the narrator Sammy, instead only impresses himself with the difficulty of being an adult. It is at the same time the story of how Sammy comes to recognize his own agency, the fact that he has the ability to set his own course in life. This is a crucial point in each person's life, that moment when we realize that we have become one of the "adults", and while fate can always step in for good or evil we have come to have a significant say in our own affairs. "
Tags: adult, fate, revelation, reality, culture, society
Abstract This paper explores the views of Nathaniel Hawthorne, expressed in his two novels. A synopsis of each novel is given and then the author looks at how Hawthorne's writing style relates to ethics and symbolism. The author then analyzes the plots and characters of the novels in relation to moral issues.
From the Paper "Hawthorne was born 1804 and brought up in Salem, Massachusetts to a Puritan family. When Hawthorne was four, his father died. After this incident he was mostly in the female company of his two sisters, an aunt and his retiring mother who was not close to her offspring. Hawthorne was known as a reserved personality but during four years at college he established close friendships with his male classmates, several of which he continued for life. "Young Goodman Brown" was published in 1835, when Nathaniel Hawthorne was 31 years old. "Birthmark" was published as a short story in Mosses from an Old Manse in 1846."
Tags: analyze, novel, writing, style, symbolism, plot, character
