The Birthmark
***Relate Nathaniel Hawthornes biography to the allegorical story the birthmark
Nathaniel Hathorn was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, where his birthplace is now a museum. His grandfather John Hathorne was one of the judges who oversaw the Salem Witch Trials. Having learned about this, Nathaniel Hawthorne added the "w" to his surname in his early twenties because he was trying to dissociate himself from his ancestor. Hawthorne wrote in the comparative obscurity of what he called his "owl's nest" in the family home. He was a 19th century American novelist and short story writer. He is seen as a key figure in the development of American literature for his tales of the nation's colonial history. Many of his books and short stories are inpired by what he did in his life time such as The Blithedale Romance is about his adventure on a farm house with his wife Sophia. Also one of his first short stories The Birthmark that he wrote in 1843 it was one of his famous short story tales that was inspired by Nathaniels life.
The Birthmark about a husband name Aylmer. He is a famous scientist and philosopher who achieved great wonders. All his life, he has made remarkable discoveries and won numerous awards. His life revolved around two deep passions, the love for Nature and the love for his wife, Georgiana. He believes the world is perfect, but little does he realize his life is rather imperfect. Georgiana is a very beautiful woman who loved her husband dearly. She was indeed beautiful with the exception of one flaw her birthmark. The mark was on her left white cheek and resembled the shape of a hand. This mark is known as the "crimson hand". Aylmer selects the birthmark as the symbol of his wifes liability to sin, sorrow, decay, death, and the symbol of imperfection. Through the birthmark, it is symbolized that Aylmer can put an end to his own failure, his own imperfections, and his own mark of mortality. Hawthorne based parts of this story on the penny press novels he loved to read and parts of the story on his life experience.
Hawthornes ideas about science, beauty, and life still play a major part in our lives, despite many improvements. Even today, people try to play God and change things that nature has put in place. The themes in this short story are religion, gender, and science was relevant in Hawthornes day and still is today. Hawthorne was a very religious person of Christianity he believed that what ever god has put on this earth should never be disturbed any sort of way. Nathaniel Hawthorne recognized these shortcomings in human nature and exposed them in The Birthmark. The Birthmark illustrates the consequences when someone tries to reject some of the most fundamental of Christian principals. In the story Hawthorne pinpoints the overwhelming effects of secularisms view of the nature of life and offers an alternative faith. You can easily recognize how "The Birthmark" incorporates facts about his Puritan ancestors, such as his grandfather being one of the judges in the Salem Witch Trials. He didnt like what his grandfather did in the past thats why he changed his last name, he thinks that his grandfather does not have the right to pick out whose a witch and whose not and he shouldnt be able to kill innocent people because what society thought of that person. The Birthmark also asks questions about the concern of female purity. Hawthorne indicates that Aylmer believed he was god-like, and these thoughts are what caused him to want to make everything perfect including his wifes purity. Also Hawthorne's experiences of intimacy and deprivation in the aftermath of his father's death had sway on his fiction writings. Additionally, some parts of the The Birthmark reflect on Hawthorne's anxieties in the aftermath of his marriage. Georgiana has minimal issues with here birthmark, in the story Aylmer is thinking of himself when he looks at her birthmark. Aylmer wants Georgiana to get rid of the birthmark on her cheek because he is afraid of what people will think about him and how it affects his life. If the birthmark was on any lady other then Georgiana he would not have felt threatened by it. But because of his marriage to Georgiana so he is always second guessing himself and thinks that others are him and his wife by the scar on Georgianas face. He assumes all are thinking his lady is impure and committed a great sin resulting in the mark on her face. This some what parallels Hawthorne life, in that he thinks that his wife Sophia will hold him back from writing his short stories and novels and also has concerns about his role as an artist. His life changed when he married Sophia and he worries how those changes will affect his writing.
Hawthorne's relationship to the Mannings' merchant values, his hatred towards Salem, his experiences at Bowdoin College including his awkward friendships with Bridge, Pierce, and Longfellow, his lifelong strivings to develop his talents and support himself by his pen and paper, during his political appointments, and so forth, his secret engagement, and his identity as doting but fallible husband and father. All these things are depicted in The Birthmark some how, some way, and they all affected his life some how and some way.
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