Anything Less Than Perfection Will Not Do in Hawthornes The Birthmark
In The Birthmark, Hawthorne explores the theme of science vs. naturebut ultimately the story is about one mans inability to accept anything less than perfection from his spouse. The protagonist, Aylmer, is a scientist who is obsessed with perfection and sees the birthmark on his wifes cheek as a blemish that must be removed. He spends all of his time and energy trying to find a way to remove it, even though it inevitably ends up costing her life. He becomes a man obsessed with removing the symbol of imperfection, unable to see her as a human being; he sees only the birthmark, which doubles as a hideous symbol of Original Sin, in a spiritual sense. In contrast, his wife, Georgiana, is content with the way she looks and sees the birthmark as a part of her identity. The story suggests overall that the human condition suffers from a spiritual imperfection and that it is folly to try to remedy this situation through natural arts or sciences.
Hawthorne states clearly in the beginning of the story that Aylmer is more a man of science than a man of faith. Hawthorne states that Aylmer had devoted himself, however, too unreservedly to scientific studies ever to be weaned from them by any second passion (1)....
…spiritual defect in him. He projects this defect onto his wife. He sees it in her birthmark that he tries to remove with his science and arts (Gatta).In conclusion, Aylmers wife eventually does die because of Aylmers obsession. It drives him to use dangerous methods to try to remove the birthmark. Hawthorne suggests that obsession with perfection can cause spiritual blindness. It can cause people to do more harm than good. The story is about how people should accept the fact that human nature has a kind of spiritual imperfection at its heart. The way to transcend this imperfection is through virtue. It is not an imperfection that one can overcome through an attempt to…
Works Cited
Gatta, John. "Aylmer's Alchemy in" The Birthmark"." Philological Quarterly 57.3
(1978): 399.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “The Birth-Mark.”
https://www.lonestar.edu/departments/english/hawthorne_birth-mark.pdf
Hawthorne Hooper suddenly dons a mysterious black veil "which entirely concealed his features, except the mouth and chin, but probably did not intercept his sight, further than to give a darkened aspect to all living and inanimate things," (Hawthorne). This "gloomy" veil is the central symbol of Hawthorne's short story, "The Minister's Black Veil." As with other Hawthorne stories, "The Minister's Black Veil" offers a poignant critique against hyper-religiosity in ultra-Puritan
There are several women in the crowd who turn out to see her public humiliation that feel Hester should have been punished with death, instead of the letter on her chest. As time goes on, some of the townspeople start to realize that Hester really is a good person, and while she may have sinned, she is not the only one to ever have done so. In one instance,
HAWTHORNE'S BIRTHMARK AND YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN 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
35). The suggestion implicit in the confession is that the Minister is no different from anyone except that he is showing in an exterior way the inward disposition of his soul: it is stained with sin and is in need of saving. "This veil is a type and a symbol, and I am bound to wear it ever, both in light and darkness, in solitude and before the gaze
The only material similarity between Prynne's scarlet "badge" and Faith's pink ribbons is that both are made of cloth and adorn some type of clothing, i.e., Faith's ribbons are part of her cap while Prynne's "badge" is sewn into her dress as needlework. The reader is first introduced to Prynne's "badge" in Chapter Two of the Scarlet Letter when she emerges from jail -- "On the breast of her gown,
Hawthorne Author Nathaniel Hawthorne's literary works constantly reference ideas of the supernatural and the religious ideas of the Puritans who colonized the United States. Of particular interest to Hawthorne is how these two things work together in that time period. Many of Nathaniel Hawthorne's works take place in Colonial times, a good century before the author himself was born. His own ancestors were active participants in Puritan society, even serving as
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now