What is the allegory in the birthmark?
What is the allegory in the birthmark?
In his short story, “The Birthmark,” Hawthorne utilizes foreshadowing and symbolism to portray the allegorical lesson that striving for perfection results in troubling outcomes. Hawthorne uses the device of foreshadowing to show how aiming for perfection results in an outcome that one does not expect.
What is the main theme of the birthmark?
‘The Birthmark’ focuses on the theme of obsession, particularly the moment when love becomes an obsession, making it dangerous—and even deadly, shown in Aylmer’s obsession with the birthmark and Georgiana’s obsession with Aylmer to the point of willing suicide by poison.
How does Nathaniel Hawthorne use symbolism in the birthmark?
Georgiana’s birthmark symbolizes mortality. According to the narrator, every living thing is flawed in some way, nature’s way of reminding us that every living thing eventually dies. Aylmer’s revulsion for his wife’s birthmark suggests the horror he feels at the prospect of death. …
What is the moral of the birthmark?
The Birthmark, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, follows a man plagued by the obsession to remove his wife ‘s birthmark, in order to achieve perfection. This story ‘s moral is easily explained by the cliché, don ‘t look a gift horse in the mouth.
What is the analysis of the birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne?
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Birthmark: Analysis. “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the story of a couple who are torn apart by a physical flaw on Georgiana, the wife’s cheek. The main character, Aylmer, works desperately in his laboratory in hopes of finding a cure. His plan goes awry when the potion ends his wife’s life.
Is ‘the birth-mark’ an allegory?
It is noted that in this tale, Hawthorne weaves a detailed and complex argument that The Birth-Mark’ stands as an alchemic allegory, explaining that the relationship between the characters exemplifies a somewhat explosive chemical reaction (Howard, 2012). According to Bibligraphy.com, in 1804, Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Massachusetts.
What is the theme of the birthmark?
Themes are the main ideas or subjects that the author is writing about. In ‘The Birthmark,’ Nathaniel Hawthorne includes a variety of themes. The two most powerful are obsession and the conflict between nature and science.
What is the danger is nothing to me according to Hawthorne?
The danger is nothing to me … while this hateful mark makes me the object of your horror and disgust, life is a burden which I would fling down with joy. (Hawthorne, 2016) This passage is one of the most telling of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s main character in The Birthmark, Aylmer, a chemical scientist, and a perfectionist.
