Analysis of The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay

Analysis of The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne Although â€Å"The Birthmark† by Nathaniel Hawthorne was written in the mid-1800s, its themes and ideas are still a part of society today. The 19th century was a time of change, just as this, the millennium, is a time of great change. Hawthorne’s ideas about science, beauty, and life still play a major part in our lives, despite many improvements. Even today, people try to play â€Å"God† and change things that nature has put in place. It’s human curiosity; how much can be changed, how many things can be perfected? The themes in this short story-- religion, gender, and science--were relevant in Hawthorne’s day, and still are many years later. The theme of religion is hidden in the desire to erase†¦show more content†¦Maybe people think so—thousands have cosmetic surgery performed every year as a way of trying to make themselves more beautiful. Religion has taken a step back in society today, so the significance of perfection by God has also been moved to the back burner. But, underlying all the surgeries performed today, is the question: Is it right to change what was given to you by God? Perhaps, but it is not without consequence. Many cosmetic surgeries require painful recovery time or follow-ups, and even some may be dangerous to one’s health. Hawthorne’s gender bias reflects his times, naturally, but they are slightly exaggerated in this story. Georgiana is a rational woman, but Aylmer won’t listen to her. She is a woman and, therefore, is not supposed to have anything to contribute. She agrees to all the attempts to remove her birthmark because she is submissive and can’t bring herself to tell her husband â€Å"no.† A â€Å"good† wife wouldn’t question her husband’s motives, so she allows him to perform tests and administer concoctions. Even at the moment of her death, as her birthmark is removed, she shows some happiness at pleasing her husband. Geo rgiana’s worst fear is an unhappy marriage, and she would much rather die than have Aylmer look at her with disgust. Gender bias today is not as strong as it once was but it still exists. For some women, there is still that desire to be submissive and please men. Many women have overcome this, but there remains a gender bias in the workplace,Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Birthmark By Nathaniel Hawthorne1603 Words   |  7 PagesShadow of the Grim â€Å"The Birthmark,† a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was published in 1843. The story is set around the last century and focuses on a â€Å"man of science† and his wife. The most prominent elements of the story are the inexhaustible use of foreshadowing, symbolism, and the irony of the relationship of Aylmer and Georgiana. â€Å"The Birthmark† is reminiscent of today’s science fiction genre, with mild religious undertones. Aylmer, the main protagonist, is a ‘Man of Science’ who isRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Birthmark By Nathaniel Hawthorne1651 Words   |  7 PagesHumans possess the desire to be perfect, which simply does not exist on earth and can only be achieved in dreams or in death and is explained in â€Å"The Birthmark† by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Despite wanting to be perfect, humans also desire the need to love and to be loved in return, which often leads to unhappy, bad, forceful relationships as expressed in â€Å"Living In Sin† by Adrienne Rich. Within our human lives we often desire to be labeled by who and what we are so we can know our place in this world;Read MoreAnalysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Birthmark 1262 Words   |  6 PagesEssay on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story â€Å"The Birthmark† In his celebrated short story â€Å"The Birthmark†, Nathaniel Hawthorne introduces us to Aylmer, the main protagonist of the story, as a man of science and an eminent natural philosopher, who is married to the beautiful Georgina. Despite her exquisite beauty, Georgina had a small defect, present in her cheek in the form of a small red birthmark shaped like a tiny hand. â€Å"Many a desperate swain would have risked life for the privilege of pressingRead MoreAnalysis Of The Story Of An Hour And Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Birthmark1010 Words   |  5 PagesKate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Birthmark† examine the complex relationship between a husband and wife. The two works take two different approaches to convey the same message: Marriage is not a fairytale, it requires sacrifice and unselfish behavior in order to work. Relationships are difficult to begin and harder to maintain. Mr. and Mrs. Mallard an d Aylmer and Georgiana are two relationships that shatter the surreal perception of marriage and expose readersRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter1230 Words   |  5 Pages Nathaniel Hawthorne is an American novelist, who writes and focuses on sin, punishment, and atonement. However, he mainly focuses on the Puritan legacy. Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. From 1825-1837, Hawthorne perfected his writing and spent this time to help generate ideas for his novels and poems. One of the most well known novels by Nathaniel Hawthorne is â€Å"The Scarlet Letter.† The Scarlet Letter helped Hawthorne’s career to become one of the most successful of hisRead MoreThe Birthmark By Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay1399 Words   |  6 PagesThe Birthmark Criticism Analysis The short story â€Å"The Birthmark† by Nathaniel Hawthorne was written in 1843 at the beginning of the largest feminist movement in the United States of America which occurred between the years 1840 and 1920 (National). Furthermore, during the 1830s and 1840s there were many women who spoke out about women’s rights. They argued for many changes with one of them being a social change in their duties to be subdominant to males. They rallied around the prohibition by fightingRead MoreTragic flaw in Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Birthmark† Essay1201 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ An expository essay: Tragic flaw in Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Birthmark† In literature a tragic flaw refers in plain words when the main character ends up dead or defeated a characteristic feature of the heroes of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short stories, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil†, and â€Å"The Birthmark†. However this concept is even more extensive and best explained in terms of â€Å"Hamartia†. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica that word can be understood as an inherent defectRead MoreA Separate Peace, By Nathaniel Hawthorne996 Words   |  4 PagesHumans should balance and understand the difference between good and evil. Good and evil are the superficial ideas that permeate society in many ways. However, one does not get to do in depth analysis so as to encounter such in lifestyle. As an example, at this point the planet is at the verge of a war. Humans have completely different views and perceptions of the implications such events would bring around the planet. There has always been an unending struggle of deciding between good and evil.Read MoreA Small Good Thing By Raymond Carver And The Birthmark Essay1877 Words   |  8 PagesA Small Birthmark with Vampiric Communion In the stories â€Å"A Small Good Thing† by Raymond Carver and â€Å"The Birthmark† by Nathaniel Hawthorne there are obvious differences between the two tales. While â€Å"A Small Good Thing† has to do with a family dealing with the injury and then loss of their â€Å"The Birthmark† is a scientific quest to remove a birthmark. The analysis of these two stories show both similarities as well as the differences between the main themes of Vampirism, Communion. These two main themesRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne And Edgar Allen Poe1318 Words   |  6 PagesNathanial Hawthorne and Edgar Allen Poe are inextricably connected because of their methodology of works. These two authors of Dark Romanticism, delve into in their writings of pensive mystery and sorrowful characteristics of America’s Puritan thought. Both Hawthorne and Poe apprehend the impact of transgression and evil on humanity. â€Å"The Birthmark† and †Ligeia† both recognize that a yearning for perfection can generate a dark obsession that directs the heart and will of man. â€Å"The Birthmark† is a tale