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How Did Nathaniel Hawthorne Write A Birthmark

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Lit criticism of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories.
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 and dies on May 19, 1864. He spent most of his childhood in Maine. Their he grew up for most of his life without a major male influence. Due to his early education as well as his love of reading greatly influenced the way Hawthorne wrote, he attended Bowdoin College where he graduated in the middle of his class. Nathaniel Hawthorne couldn’t see himself in any other career so he spent 12 years perfecting his writing. Nathaniel published his first novel, Fanshaw: A Tale in 1828. When he published his first short story, it was rejected, but after a few more years he gets a collection of short stories published, some of the narrative, he is famous …show more content…

Nathaniel uses a birthmark as a symbolic representation of mankind's desire to remove imperfections from our world. “The mark, as the subject around which the entire narrative revolves, is quite obviously of central thematic and structural concern in the story, but, from the outset, what is regarded as most interesting about it is its signifying quality. its capacity for different readings by different readers is presented to us as one of its first and major characteristics”(Britannica). What the author of this article is saying is that the mark is perceived differently by different people where one perceives it as an imperfection another could perceive it as an enhancement to her own beauty. Which could be related back to human instinct to remove imperfections from the world, but what they see as imperfection is really an enhancement for mankind. This can also be seen in the book when at the end of the story Georgiana says “My poor Aylmer…. You have rejected the best the world could offer.” (Birthmark p. 19) Offen times mankind takes after Aylmer and rejects the beauty the world has already provided us or they seek to make it better rather than enjoy what's already there. By doing this the human race is wasting time stressing over material things in life rather than enjoying what the world has to offer

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The birthmark itself symbolizes morality. Aylmer, this brilliant scientist and husband to Georgiana, sees it has as fatal flaw. It also represents this imperfection of human nature. Nothing is perfect in nature, but science can help improve to make it seem flawless.

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Georgiana took note of Aylmer’s displeasure of the birthmark from the dream and through his stealthy stare, causing Georgina displeasure (Nathaniel Hawthorne 114). Aylmer’s further loathing of the birthmark, causes Georgiana to give up for the sake of his happiness. She tells, Aylmer after bringing up the conversation of the birthmark, “Either remove this dreadful hand, or take my wretched life!” (Nathaniel Hawthorne 114). Aylmer could have avoided tragedy, however he failed to listen to his assistant Aminadab, who stated he would “never part with that birthmark” (Nathaniel Hawthorne 114).

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Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist, dark romantic, and short story writer. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts on the fourth of July. He went to Bowdoin College in 1821 and graduated in 1825. And 3 years later he published his first work in 1828, called Fanshawe. n 1837 as Twice-Told Tales Hawthorne published a book with several short stories.

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Aylmer is consumed with a pursuit of perfection in his scientific studies and also in nature. The leads to Aylmer being appalled at the blemish on his wife Georgiana’s cheek. He tells Georgiana “you came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature, that this slightest possible defect..shocks me, as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection” (216). This is the catalyst for Aylmer's seeking for perfection in his wife who is a natural being. Aylmer recognizes that there is a “fatal flaw of humanity, which Nature...stamps ineffaceable on all her productions” (216).

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