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Symbols In The Birthmark By Nathaniel Hawthorne

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Nathaniel Hawthorne is the only author to have mastered the art of short story composition to the same level as many others who have dazzled the literary world with their works. Hawthorne's writing style was regarded as out of date in comparison to contemporary works written at the time; Nonetheless, Hawthorne used symbols and themes from his stories to talk about contemporary issues. The best illustration of Hawthorne's representation of contemporary issues is the short story The Birthmark, which employs symbols and themes. Hawthorne addresses the fatal flaw of humanity that nature imposes on everyone by employing symbolism. Through the story's theme, he addresses the issue of man manipulating nature. Even though some people might have thought …show more content…

The mark on Georgiana's cheek reveals how close she is to perfection. The fatal flaw that all animals have is represented by this mark. Nature, in one way or another, imperceptibly imprints the fatal flaw of humanity on all of her creations, either to imply that they are fleeting and limited or that their perfection must be achieved through labor and suffering. There is no such thing as perfection. Aylmer strives to achieve perfection as a dream. Georgiana's birthmark symbolizes her capacity for sin and mortality. In the end, Georgiana loses her ability to live forever, and as a result, she dies. Hawthorne is illustrating the contemporary issue that not even nature is perfect and that none of nature's creatures can be faultless by evoking the birthmark as the fatal flaw of humanity. The birthmark makes allusions to life, death, beauty, and disgust—all of which are fatal flaws that are imposed by nature on her creations. Georgiana herself is another symbol in Hawthorne's writing that demonstrates contemporary …show more content…

Georgiana is under his control as well as Aylmer is attempting to control and manipulate nature. Georgiana began to speculate that she had already been subjected to certain physical influences, either through the fragrant air or through her food, as these questions had such a particular drift. Aylmer manipulates Georgiana without his wife's knowledge using outside influences to eventually free them from the crimson hand that has plagued their lives. Hawthorne plays with the modern problem of men's need to control women. Aylmer is able to control his wife by riding her away from the birthmark. This concept is also utilized by Hawthorne in the story Rappaccini’s Daughter. Rappaccini's father and Aylmer experiment on their daughters. They no longer see the women in their lives as human beings but rather as objects to be studied and controlled. Some literary critics have said that Hawthorne's writing style is old, but if they dig deeper, they'll find that his mind is full of current

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Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, The Birthmark, tragically displays that the quest for knowledge or perfection can sometimes result in man’s detriment rather than man’s enhancement or success. Aylmer’s constant obsession to make his wife, Georgiana, perfect showcases his concern for his own selfish, unattainable needs to triumph over Nature. Aylmer’s decision to dominate the powers of Nature, illustrates the limits of not only man, but perfection itself. From the onset, Hawthorne portrays Aylmer as a man so involved in his experimental projects, that his love for his own wife never equaled his love for science. Despite her efforts to win her husband’s true affection, Georgiana realized that she could not compete with Aylmer’s

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Georgiana’s birthmark is a symbol of her mortality. The narrator explains that everything in nature is flawed and dies. The hand shaped mark is the only thing on an otherwise perfect person, the thing that portrays her as mortal. Aylmer believes that the birthmark marks his wife’s premature death. Being the smart man that he is one would believe that he would just see the birthmark for what it is, but he makes a fatal misinterpretation.

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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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In the short story “The Birthmark”, Nathaniel Hawthorne writes about a scientist, his wife, and the unhealthy relationship they share. The story follows Aylmer, a scientist, who is determined to remove his wife Georgiana’s birthmark. One aspect of their unhealthy relationship is Georgiana’s sole dependance on Aylmer. Furthermore, Aylmer does not view Georgiana as his equal. Not only this, but Aylmer frequently belittles her, continuously pointing out her flaws, which drives her to do something dangerous.

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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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The first and most important use of symbolism we receive is that of the birthmark. We learn that, “in the centre of Georgians's left cheek, there was a singular mark, deeply interwoven, as it were, with the texture and substance of her face” (205). Upon further reading Hawthorne tells us that, “Its shape bore not a little similarity to the human hand” (205). Georgiana had a birthmark right in the middle of her left cheek that resembled a tiny hand in which Aylmer thought was very imperfect. The birthmark symbolizes mortality or an imperfection of

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Argumentative Essay: Final Draft - Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Birthmark" is a short story that explores the dangers of obsession with perfection and the cost of valuing physical beauty over inner qualities. The story follows the relationship between Aylmer and Georgiana, as Aylmer becomes increasingly fixated on removing a small birthmark from Georgiana's cheek, leading to tragic consequences. In the story, Aylmer's obsession with perfection and his attempt to remove Georgiana's birthmark symbolizes the destructive effects of a patriarchal society's unrealistic expectations of women's physical beauty, ultimately highlighting the dangers of valuing external appearances over inner qualities, as well as the emotional toll that these standards have on women. Aylmer''s perfectionism basically is also

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In the story “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, he uses several techniques to help build his story. Hawthorne tells a story of a man of science whose name was Aylmer. He married a beautiful women named Georgiana, although she was quite beautiful she had a birthmark on her face which, in Aylmer’s eyes was an imperfection. Aylmer tries to perfect Georgiana, but in the end Aylmer’s attempts to change Georgiana causes him to lose her. Aylmer does not accept the idea of imperfections in people.

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It shows that our flaws make up a large part of who we are which make it very difficult to separate the two. To remove it would only result in failure. Aylmer finally is able to remove “the last crimson tint of the birthmark -- that sole token of human imperfection” (13). The mark shows that people are inherently imperfect and it’s what makes us human. Once Aylmer removes that imperfection, Georgiana dies because it is impossible to obtain perfection as a person.

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“The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “The Birthmark”, is an exemplary example of Dark Romanticism in early American literature. An abundance of romantic characteristics such as supernatural elements, intuition over reasoning, and the tendency to focus on the tragedy of the story are found throughout the Dark Romantic piece. Many examples of the supernatural trademarks are evident throughout the piece. One being, Hawthorne describes Georgiana’s hand to look as if, “...some fairy at her birth hour had laid her tiny hand upon the infant's cheek, and left this impress there in token of the magic endowments that were to give her such sway over all hearts” (6).

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In The Birthmark, Hawthorne depicts the obsession for perfection, the tole it takes on one and the consequences it has. The quest for perfection is unrealistic and unobtainable as we are only mere humans incapable of reconstructing our DNA. In The Birthmark, Hawthorne tells the story of a woman named Georgiana and her scientist husband Aylmer, who are both fixated on a birthmark similar to the look of a tiny human hand. Aylmer is disgusted by Georgiana’s birthmark, wanting to please her husband Georgiana is willing to do anything for him to look at her in a normal manner “Danger is nothing to me;for life which this hateful mark

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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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Equally Aylmer and Dr. Rappiccini, both characters in Hawthorne’s works causes destruction of human life with selfish aims to perfect the woman of their choice. In the case of Aylmer’s love interest in science, just as with the case of Beatrice’s father, blinds him to the true beauty and humanity of the woman before him. Aylmer views Georgiana’s birthmark as a symbol of imperfection and tries to remove it. At the end of the story, Georgiana say, "My poor Aylmer," she repeated, with a more than human tenderness, "you have aimed loftily; you have done nobly. Do not repent that with so high and pure a feeling, you have rejected the best the earth could offer.

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When Aylmer demanded assistance from his servant, Aminadab, with Georgiana who was in a “lifeless form,” he muttered to himself: “If she were my wife, I’d never part with the birthmark” (Hawthorne 343). The ironic aspect of this part of the story is the servant, the scientist's personal laboratory rat, knew that the removal of such a tiny “defect” would end in a great loss. The “man of science,” the “philosopher,” the faith in man’s “ultimate control over nature,” all meant nothing. He could not see past his wife’s imperfection and look at what was truly important, her inner beauty. Destruction of beauty in this story, “The Birthmark,” is developed through the use of symbolism, conflict, and irony.

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