The Old Manse

The story I will be exploring thoroughly is “The Birth-Mark” by Hawthorne. I will be going over the absolute marvelous text itself, and will later write in response to the symbolism in the story. Let us start off with a major symbol in the story “The Birth-Mark”. The actual birthmark is a huge symbol, the birthmark represents nature itself. I come to recognize that the birthmark was, in fact, the major symbolism based on several factors. First, let's start at the beginning, the story essentially is about a man named Aylmer and a woman named Georgiana, both individuals are perfect. Aylmer is a man of science and he represents that as well; furthermore, Georgianna is women of nature. Combined together in a relationship they both are a great match and could have potentially been the symbol of happiness. However, it was not was possible they cannot due to one major thing that keeps getting in the way. It is the formed from Aylmer's ambition and devotion to science and Georgiana equal ambition and devotion to Aylmer. As time accumulates with Aylmer and Georgiana together, Aylmer notices a flaw on Georgiana, keep in mind it is a small flaw, as Aylmer truly loved her at first, “His love for his young wife might prove the stronger of the two; but it could only be by intertwining his love of science” (Hawthorne 220), we see that science could be his undoing. As for Georgiana, the flaw is the birthmark. As Aylmer comes to the conclusion to remove the birthmark using science, we…

seen in many of Georgiana’s quotes throughout the story. For example, when Georgiana seems to make up her mind about her current “predicament” and says: “It is resolved then, Aylmer spare me not, though you should find the birthmark, take refuge in my heart instead.” Georgiana is willing to give up her life completely and disregards who she is as a person all because of her husband’s dislikes towards a small imperfection found in her face. As incredulous as this seems today, there was in fact a…

“The Birthmark” “The Birthmark” is a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne uses his experiments not working like he plans, His wife’s voice being the only thing to cheer him up, and his obsession of removing her imperfection to make her perfect. These symbolize how man wants the world to be perfect. “In the latter part of the last century there lived a man of science, an eminent proficient in every branch of natural philosophy” (Hawthorne). Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Aylmer’s…

In National Hawthorne’s story The Birthmark, there are several themes present. In particular, it is clear there is a struggle between science and nature. The story starts with two people who were married, one being Georgiana, who represented nature and Aylmer, her husband who represented science. Aylmer was always successful in his scientific experiments, he could invent something out of nothing, and yet failed in trying to what he thought was to fix his wife. Georgiana had the ability to calm…

Once the acid made contact with her skin, scorching it a charcoal-black color, the girl could only muster screams, conveying her deep, agonizing pain. Frequently, the epidemic of acid attacks occurs in underdeveloped countries; in these areas, women being the prominent casualty. For one acid victim in particular, Monica Singh, callous revenge morphed into a new lifetime of adjustments and acceptance. Nevertheless, the Indian student proceeds to strive for excellence when she receives her…

In “The Birth-Mark”, the author Nathaniel Hawthorne provides a short story in which he has represented the characters with a higher meaning. The characters, Aylmer, Georgiana and Aminadab are given a bigger meaning than the surface of their characters; characterized as science, nature and man. Aylmer is symbolized science in “The Birth-Mark”. He is scientist whose love for science has intervene with the love of his wife, Georgiana. His greater love for science has caused him the desire to…

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birthmark” delves into the lives of a man of science and a beautiful woman during the eighteenth century. Aylmer who is one of the main characters of the story dedicated his life to scientific studies where as his love for his wife Georgiana may only interweaving with his destiny. Shortly after their marriage a birthmark on Georgiana’s left cheek leaves her husband infatuated with eradicating it. Throughout the years before Georgiana had…

The Fault Within “The Birthmark,” a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, it is stated that imperfection is, “…liability to sin, sorrow, death, and decay…” (Hawthorne 2). The short story is about a scientist, Aylmer, who strives to make his wife, Georgiana, perfect by performing scientific experiments to remove her one imperfection, a birthmark. The result is kind of like taking a picture; it is a perfect representation of a moment in time, but all the life is gone. Georgiana dies as a result of…

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birthmark” portrays this foolishly driven desire in creating a flawless being by illustrating the battle between a man’s love for science verses his love for women. Hawthorne’s choice of language conveys the barriers that lie between morality and sin that are recognized by challenging nature and scientific triumph. Early in the short story, Georgiana and her birthmark are introduced as “a single mark, deeply interwoven, as it were, with the texture and…

A story that I’ve read by Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Birthmark has had an impact on me throughout the semester. The reason I choose this piece of work by Hawthorne, because after reading the story and understanding what was going on, it had some flaws that I personally can relate too, but don’t like it all. I feel that judging someone that you like isn’t right at all from whatever the problem is. Just a brief overview of The Birthmark, Aylmer has a huge issue with his newly wife birthmark on her…