Dark Romanticism In The Birthmark, By Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a very deep and complex story with many themes and main ideas contained therein. After a summary of the story, a thorough analyzation reveals the main themes to be love’s progression to obsession and the conflict between science and nature. Before an analysis can begin, the story must have all of its major events summarized.

Written by Nathaniel Hawthorne during the American Renaissance, the short story “The Birth-Mark” details the events of a brilliant scientist and natural philosopher named Aylmer who obsesses about his wife Georgiana’s birthmark in the shape of a tiny hand on her left cheek. The symbol of the birthmark causes the plot to advance in the story, as Aylmer is compelled by this red mark to act upon his emotions. Aylmer views his wife’s birthmark as an imperfection in her virtually flawless beauty and as a result, attempts to it via a potion that he strongly believes cannot fail. His interpretation of the birthmark creates conflict in the story, which is shaped by the symbolic meaning that he attributes it to. Aylmer’s failure to accept his wife’s appearance for who she is leads to misunderstandings, pain, and ultimately, death.

Hawthorne uses the characters in “The Birthmark” as a way to illustrate his theme. Aylmer

The red birthmark in the shape of a small hand on Georgiana’s face in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” represents imperfection. Georgiana is described as a beautiful woman with the small blemish on her cheek. Aylmer, her husband, is persistently trying to convince her to get the mark on her face removed. Georgiana dies trying to become perfect and ultimately failing. Hawthorne is trying to tell his readers that it is impossible to not have flaws everyone has flaws some are simply bigger and more noticeable than others.

Individuals who seek for perfection will always live unfulfilled and discontent with themselves. In this story the main character Aylmer, is a newly scientific married man who should have been focus on being happy for the rest of his life with his wife Georgiana. But, instead he becomes totally obsessed with the imperfection of the birthmark that Georgiana has on her cheek. He is struggling with the seemingly unruly hand shaped birthmark that stains in his wife’s face. She is a gorgeous woman who is as close to perfect as anyone can get. However, is still flawed but the mark of the “tiny

“The Birthmark” written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was published in 1843 in a literary journal called the Pioneer. During this time period there were great advances happening in the scientific field. “The Birthmark is a story about a scientist named Aylmer who wishes to make his wife perfect by removing a tiny mark on her cheek and ends tragically for the wife. In the story there is a clear divide between science and nature. Aylmer who wishes to correct it the flaw that he sees on his wife Georgina cheek and nature who put it the tiny birthmark there. By using foreshadowing, allegory and symbolism Hawthorne shows how one must not try to correct Nature for it may have many disastrous consequences for the one that are involved in trying to correct it

Like the many novels of Nathaniel Hawthorne, “The Birthmark” has a derived use of symbolism. The symbols in “The Birthmark” pertains to profound meanings. These meanings are beyond their intentions with great significance that is to be explained.

“The Birthmark,” a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was published in 1843. The story is set around the last century and focuses on a “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. “The Birthmark” is reminiscent of today’s science fiction genre, with mild religious undertones. Aylmer, the main protagonist, is a ‘Man of Science’ who is married to beautiful, innocent Georgiana. In the story, we follow his efforts to become God-like by not heeding the natural order created by the divine, his attempt to perfect the imperfections of his beloved wife, and is the ultimate cause of his

The dominant symbol from the story is a birthmark on the face of Georgiana. In definition, it is a very small mark red that looks like a hard print located in the middle of the cheek. Georgiana was born in a generous and perfect nature. The look of the birthmark continually disturbs him as it reminds him of wife’s mortality and humanity when he tries to seek for divine intervention.

In Nathanial Hawthorne’s short story “The Birth-Mark,” the use of symbolism is heavily portrayed. Although the birthmark is the most prominent symbol in the story, it is not the only one that Hawthorne used. Hawthorne uses the narrative to show the world that humans are mortal beings, and that no person is knowledgeable enough to assume the role of an all-powerful god. Through his use of symbolism, Hawthorne addresses the issues of the imperfection of human nature, human mortality, and divine nature.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birth-mark” he writes about a woman named Georgiana who has a single flaw, a birthmark on her cheek. Although she thinks little of it, her husband obsesses over it. The birthmark eventually becomes a source of turmoil in their marriage. Georgiana is a complex character, who grows and develops throughout the narrative. Georgiana has a moment of clarity before her death that displays how wise she truly is. Throughout the story Hawthorne conveys many essential lessons for the reader to consider and utilize.

People who pursue perfection will ultimately end their lives. In the short story “The Birth-Mark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author uses three important elements convey this message to the reader. First, the omniscient narrator shows the thoughts and experiences of all the characters. Second, the setting contains the time and place, which helps the reader understand the geographical location, general environment, and certain circumstances. Third, the symbolism creates a particular concept or an idea that author wants the reader to pay attention to. Hawthorne uses the perspective of the narrator, the setting, and symbolism to promote the theme of nature over science.

Nathaniel Hawthorne was seen as “a major figure in the American romantic movement” (Constantakis 1). Additionally, “Hawthorne created allegories of the dark, irredeemable human condition, a point of view most likely traceable to the author’s New England Puritan roots” (Constantakis 2). Concerning Hawthorne’s writing style, he often focused on “concrete particulars his tales elevate into symbols,” and his works “speak from and to the unconscious that people dream their way into every night and set aside when they rise from their beds to act” (Bunge 4). This short story was “first published in March 1943 in Pioneer…under Hawthorne’s own name” (Newman 29). The beginning of the short story “The Birth-Mark” relates the union of Aylmer, a scientist who was highly distinguished within his community but personally unsatisfied due to his severe perfectionism, with his wife, Georgiana. Unfortunately for their relationship, Aylmer obsessed over the possible removal of his wife’s hand-shaped birth-mark, which he saw as the sole thing that stood between him and a perfect wife, so Georgiana agreed to have the mark removed. Soon afterwards, Aylmer furnished a lavishly decorated space for Georgiana to stay in while he developed an elixir in his laboratory to remove her mark; he also attempted to delight her with several of his other scientific creations, but they did not always have the intended effect. Georgiana later read notes that Aylmer kept that pertained to his earlier

Hawthorne’s story “The Birthmark” is remote in time when there were no true kind of

In “The Birthmark”, Nathaniel Hawthorne includes a variety of themes. The two most powerful are obsession and the conflict between nature and science.