Preview

The Birthmark Literary Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
525 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Birthmark Literary Analysis
Jessica Johnson
Dr. DeFee
English 212-006
March 15, 2013
Literary Analysis of “The Birthmark” Romanticism is the keen sense of life of the natural person. It was a cultural movement from 1770 to 1860. This movement established nature as the beginning and the end. A notable writer of the Romanticism era was Nathaniel Hawthorne. One of his more significant Romantic works is “The Birthmark”. This story reveals the pursuit of perfection in a world where it is non-existent. The protagonist in this story emulates a prime characteristic of a romantic character. Aylmer, a scientist, has a distinguished intuitive perception of man and nature; therefore, he believed that man could be perfected through science. The defects of a person are often
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Symbolism In The Birth-Mark By Nathaniel Hawthorne
    • 265 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Symbolism In The Birth-Mark By Nathaniel Hawthorne

    In "The Birth-Mark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author floods the story with many forms of symbolism to show there is no true form of perfection on earth. Although trying to accomplish such a thing, Aylmer not only highlights his failures as a scientist, but also kills his beautiful wife. After many nights of gazing upon his wife's porcelain face, slaying her heart with his disgusted looks, Aylmer convinces his wife Georgiana to let him conduct an experiment on the hand-shaped, rosy birthmark she flaunted upon her cheek, to remove such flaw and achieve pure perfection on earth. Within Aylmer's laboratory exists two contrasting rooms that display not only the workplace for the grungy men, but the heavenly boudoir of which his wife so pleasently…

    • 265 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A Lesson Before Dying Literary Analysis
    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A Lesson Before Dying Literary Analysis

    The initial descriptions of setting and geography influence the purpose of any character, theme or symbol. In the book “A Lesson Before Dying” the courthouse and segregation along with syntactic balance patterns play an important role in influencing those three things…

    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Neoclassicism: Influence Of Classical Art
    • 1430 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Neoclassicism: Influence Of Classical Art

    The Romantic era lasted from 1750-1870. This style was created as a revolt against neoclassicism. Men were going off to war and were overwhelmed by stress and thoughts of death and this new era was born. No real characteristics other than rejection of authority (Romantic History historyworld.net). Some characteristics are individualism, irrational, imagination, and the personal (Romanticism Barton). Some works are Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Nathaniel Hawthorn’s The Scarlet Letter.…

    • 1430 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    A Lesson Before Dying Literary Analysis
    • 1176 Words
    • 5 Pages

    A Lesson Before Dying Literary Analysis

    The novel, A Lesson before Dying, was written by Ernest J. Gaines in 1993. Gaines was born on the River Lake plantation in Louisiana, where he was raised by his aunt, Miss Augusteen Jefferson. Racism was prevalent shown by the whites-only libraries in Louisiana. After 15 years of living in Louisiana, Gaines moved to California, although he states Louisiana never left him. California had libraries available for the blacks also. In California, he lived with his mother and which inspired him to the point of writing about six novels and scores of short stories. In 1953, Gaines was drafted into the Army, and he later went on to study creative writing at Stanford University. While in the library, Gaines…

    • 1176 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Obsession In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Birthmark'
    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Obsession In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Birthmark'

    A short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, “The Birthmark”, is a short story about a newly married couple and the husband becomes obsessed with his wife’s birthmark. The birthmark is a symbol in the text. The text reads as follows “The crimson hand expressed the ineludible gripe in which mortality clutches the highest and purest of earthly mould, degrading them into kindred with the lowest, and even with the very brutes, like whom their visible frames return to dust. In this manner, selecting it as the symbol of his wife's liability to sin, sorrow, decay, and death” (Booth 215 ). Hawthorne is telling us the readers that love is not perfect using the symbol as the birthmark itself. The husband, Alymer wants to control nature to try to fix this birthmark , but in all reality it is his insecurity. Alymer wants perfection in his wife and this perfection does not exist.…

    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Beauty In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birthmark
    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Beauty In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birthmark

    Beauty is the eyes of the beholder. One man’s beauty can be misery for another. For perfectionists it can be difficult to find the perfection. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” is a story of a couple’s foolish search for perfection which ends with a tragedy. Georgiana, who is the victim of god’s small mistake, is one of the main characters in the story. On the outside, she looked so in love with her husband that she was able to give up her life to satisfy him. On the inside, she was an egotistical woman who wanted everyone to admit that she was the true definition of beauty.…

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Hawthorn's the birthmark essay
    • 1228 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Hawthorn's the birthmark essay

    Jules Zanger in her essay, speaking of the Unspeakable: Hawthorne's "The Birthmark," talks about the different interpretations of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birthmark.” one of the interpretations she talks about “regards the mark on Georgiana Aylmer's cheek as the external sign of her human [and] imperfect condition.”(Zanger, 364) She goes on to talk about Georgiana’s husband Aylmer who tried to remove the mark on her face because it kept her from being perfect. She talks about how people understand that Aylmer’s decision to surgically remove his wife’s imperfection was “either scientific, rational, reformist presumption, or of too aspiring an idealism.” (Zanger, 364) Zanger talks about a lot of things in her essay at the beginning, but she focuses mainly on the gender roles of society of the nineteenth century and how it is shown in the story. The male dominance of the nineteenth century, because Aylmer made the decision and his wife agreed in order to please him in spite of her opposing the idea and initially refusing to remove the “birthmark” that many considered charming, and a sign of her “angelic “being. Zanger addresses the gender roles of the time, when men had their roles in society and women had theirs. Zanger describes Aylmer as dominant, which was the norm. Males were dominant in the nineteenth century. They enjoyed more freedom than females. At the time women lived lives not very different from the lives of slaves; women were like slaves back then. Women had less privileges than males, for example females had no right to vote, no right to education, females were barred from universities, and they were only allowed to work at low-paying jobs; their sole purpose was to marry and reproduce. These dominant natures of men at the time as described by Zanger are shown through the characterization of Aylmer and his wife Georgina. Aylmer in the story is very domineering. Before they were married, Aylmer thought that…

    • 1228 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Romanticism In Scarlet Letter
    • 1124 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Romanticism In Scarlet Letter

    Nathaniel Hawthorne uses romanticism to portray the human soul under extreme pressures. Romanticism emphasizes individuality, imagination to discover truth, and values intuition over reason. Then, Romanticism branches out into Dark Romanticism, which embodies horrific themes, presents that individuals are prone to sin and self-destruction, affected psychologically from sin and guilt. In “The Scarlet Letter”, Nathaniel Hawthorne employs elements of romanticism and symbolism to communicate the idea that sin and guilt has a great impact in the manifestations of humans.…

    • 1124 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    critical analysis of "The Birthmark"
    • 666 Words
    • 3 Pages

    critical analysis of "The Birthmark"

    unfold the secrets of the natural world, and not only know the mechanism of it s power. Hawthorne only sees this as two problems: the desire to play god, and a blinding faith in science. Aylmer was a very selfish character as well, all he wanted was for Georgina to be beautiful and perfect he took things for granted and soon he realized that when Georgina said “ You have aimed loftily: you have rejected the nest earth could offer, Aylmer, dearest Aylmer, I…

    • 666 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Symbolism In The Birthmark
    • 1103 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Symbolism In The Birthmark

    In Hawthorne's short story, "The Birthmark," he examines that nature is supposed to be imperfect and cannot be changed. Hawthorne's main character, Aylmer is a static and stock character who does not change and is a mad scientist. He is determined to remove his wive's birthmark and is in denial that nature is imperfect and not everything can be changed. Hawthorne examines the theme that nature is supposed to be imperfect he shows it through Aylmers thoughts about how nature works. Aylmer is a part of nature himself and tries to achieve perfection by making his wife perfect and removing the birthmark. Lastly, Hawthorne uses symbolism to once again portray that nature cannot be changed and it is meant to be imperfect. The dream Aylmer has a deception…

    • 1103 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A Worn Path: Literary Analysis
    • 508 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A Worn Path: Literary Analysis

    Arising out of the ashes the phoenix came back to life again. In Greek mythology the phoenix is the symbol for idealism and hope. It falls only to arise and live again. The main character of Eudora Welty's short story, "A Worn Path", is much like this phoenix. She must overcome much adversity on her life path. Eudora Welty in "A Worn Path" uses the idea of the phoenix to characterize and symbolize the indomitable spirit of the main character, Phoenix Jackson, who though old, weak, and forgetful can conquer obstacles put in her way as she heads toward her goal.…

    • 508 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Birthmark--Wicked Good Essay
    • 881 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Birthmark--Wicked Good Essay

    Too often in this world does man attempt to perfect nature. Tampering with this sort of element most commonly leads to a disaster to come extent. Because man is never satisfied, he is constantly vying for perfection, regardless of the outcome. Such is the case in Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, "The Birthmark." Aylmer's persistent attempt to perfect nature is the cause of Georgiana's demise and the affirmation that when man tampers with such a powerful component terrible things may occur.…

    • 881 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Romanticism In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
    • 1511 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Romanticism In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    Written in 1818 by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein is widely considered to be among the novels that fully exemplify Romantic-era literary achievement. The Romantic movement is a general term used to denote the intellectual evolution in literature and the arts, primarily in 19th century Europe. Substantial facets of literary Romanticism include belief in the innate virtue of humans, the bounds of nature, as well as the polarity of human emotion, all of which are embodied in Shelley’s Frankenstein. Through reading Shelley’s novel, some of the fundamental ideals of Romanticism genuinely become obvious.…

    • 1511 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Birthmark: Obsession Of Perfection
    • 1490 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Birthmark: Obsession Of Perfection

    The relentless pursuit of human perfection has always been an intrinsic trait of human nature and science has been a mean to achieve it. This statement brings us to the main idea of Hawthorne 's short story "The Birth-mark." It shows the story of a scientist who is obsessed with the removal of his wife 's birthmark, considering it a symbol of her human imperfection. "The Birth-mark" is possibly influenced by Hawthorne 's times where science began to gain knowledge about our world and was considerably glorified, through scientific experiment, humankind can discover, know, and do just about anything. As the narrator explains, “In those days when…

    • 1490 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Romanticism and William Cullen Bryant
    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Romanticism and William Cullen Bryant

    As a result of the American revolution the literature during the ninghteen century changed to fiction. The Romanticism was a period in which authors left classicism, age of reason, in the old world and started to offered imagination, emotions and a new literature that toward nature, humanity and society to espouse freedom and individualism. The main characteristics or Romanticism movements are: an emphasis on imagination as a key to revealing the innermost depths of the human spirit, the celebration of the beauty and mystery of nature, and a fascination with the supernatural and gothic.…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics