Hawthorne exemplifies romanticism many times throughout his short story Birthmark. An example of this exemplification would be the characters, and how well they fit the role Hawthorne assigns them. In the story, the wife shows the importance of character traits, such as emotional connections and imagination. An example of the imaginational aspect is when the wife imagines a day in which her husband can fix the horrible birthmark bestowed upon her, allowing her to be open to his experiments. Another reason for the wife to go along with the experiments is due to the love that her and her husband share. Towards the start of the story, the wife is “bursting into tears” (399) when her husband comments on her birthmark. But, as the story continues to develop, the wife begins to see “life is a burden which I would fling down with joy”(401), in reference to the birthmark and how she …show more content…
He shows the nature and scientist side, but also the personal side with the imagination. He often states references to nature and the sciences. Hawthorne has him describe science as giving him the perfect wife expect for the birthmark on her face. Aylmer wants to cure his wife of this horrid birthmark, and to do this he relies on the expertise of science. He says “I feel myself fully competent to render this dear cheek as faultless as its fellow.” (401) He thinks that he knows science and since the removal of the birthmark is science, there will be no problems along the way. Aylmer does not think that he needs to seek medical help because he is a man of science. His emotional and imaginational state are very typical of the romanticist view. This is from the need for the birthmark to go, even having dreams about when it is gone. Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne presents elements of the romanticist view. The characters throughout the story represent this perfectly through their actions and the way that Hawthorne depicts