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Thursday, December 19, 2019

The Birthmark, a Short Story about a Scientist Written by...

â€Å"The Birthmark† is a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne that tells the story of a scientist who is obsessed with an imperfection his wife holds, a small red birthmark on her cheek, and his concern with removing it. The story explores a few different themes such as science, gratitude, stereotypes and mortality. â€Å"The Birthmark† portrays that imperfection is a necessary aspect in humans and if perfection exists, it will not last long. In the story, a scientist, Aylmer, marries a beautiful woman named Georgiana. Georgiana has a small red birthmark on her cheek and although most men find the birthmark to be a unique and attractive feature, Aylmer sees it as â€Å"the visible mark of earthly imperfection. He believes that if the mark was not on her face, she would be absolutely flawless, which hurts Georgiana terribly to know that her husband does not accept her for who she is. One day she raises the subject of removing the birthmark to her husband, which t hrills him and he admits that he has already concocted a few possible plans to remove it. When the time comes, Aylmer brings the very nervous Georgiana into his lab. She becomes pale with fear, which causes her birthmark to stand out, and Aylmer peers at her with disgust, causing her to faint. Aminidab, Aylmer’s servant, is strong in a physical nature, but not wise. He has been Aylmer’s servant for years, and helps Aylmer bring Georgiana into the lab while thinking to himself that if Georgiana were his wife, he wouldShow MoreRelatedThe 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 MoreComparing Frankenstein, Aylmer, and Dr. Phillips Essay example664 Words   |  3 PagesFrankenstein, Aylmer, and Dr. Phillips Authors Mary Shelly, Nathaniel Hawthorne and John Steinbeck have all created scientists in at least one piece of their work. Mary Shellys character Frankenstein, from her novel Frankenstein, is a man who is trying to create life from death. Aylmer, the main character in Nathaniel Hawthornes short story The Birthmark, is a scientist who is trying to rid his wife of a birthmark on her almost perfect complexion. In John Steinbecks The Snake theRead MoreGothic Literature : The Dark Side Of Romanticism1518 Words   |  7 Pagestheme of Gothic stories is either mysterious, horror, or even death. Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe are authors that demonstrate Gothic literature. Some of their work include, â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† written by Edgar Allan Poe and â€Å"The Birthmark† by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Cask of Amontillado tells how the narrator Montresor seeks revenge on his acquaintance, Fortunato. Montresor to desperate measures and did not catch. Howev er, in â€Å"The Birthmark†, Aylmer, a scientist has become obsessedRead MoreHawthorne: Experiments Gone Wrong 1854 Words   |  8 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne is an author whose major fiction writing has influenced the literary world greatly during the course of the nineteenth century. His work during the Romantic period represents his world view through a specific style of writing. While his literature is particularly dark in tone, his short stories show a variety of symbols, themes, and characters. â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil,† â€Å"The Birthmark,† and â€Å"Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment† are three of Hawthorne’s short stories that illustrateRead MoreHuman Imperfection Illustrated in Hawthornes The Birthmark Essay888 Words   |  4 Pages but it takes away the very essence of being a human being. The short story â€Å"The Birthmark† by Nathaniel Hawthorn, illustrates this teaching through the character of Aylmer, an ambitio us and devoted scientist who is appalled by his wife Georgiana’s birthmark, believing it to be a perceivable sign of her human flaws and eagerly waits to remove it from her cheek. 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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;Read MoreNathaniel Hawthorne The Birthmark Symbolism1229 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Birthmark† by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a story about a man’s obsession with trying to create perfection. Aylmer is married to a beautiful woman named Georgiana who just happens to have a birthmark on her face that is in the shape of a tiny hand. Aylmer is a scientist that is striving to create perfection through science. He believes that he is able to alter what Nature has already created. 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Henry Seidel Canby in â€Å"A Skeptic Incompatible with His Time and His Past† talks about the value of Hawthorne’s â€Å"literary psychology†: This irreverent generation [of the 1950’s] has mocked atRead MoreThe Birthmark: A Psychological Short Story Essay3606 Words   |  15 Pagesâ€Å"The Birthmark† Is a Psychological Story  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   The psychological dimension of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writing, typical of his best short stories, is well demonstrated in his tale â€Å"The Birthmark.†    Frederick C. Crews in â€Å"The Logic of Compulsion in ‘Roger Malvin’s Burial’† explores the psychological drama that prevails in Hawthorne’s short stories:    . . . I chose this one tale to analyze because it illustrates the indispensability, and I should even say the priority

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