The Birthmark Essay -- Literary Analysis, Nathaniel Hawthorne

A man is never satiated; he is constantly striving for perfection, imprudent about eventuality. Such is the case in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Birthmark." An escape from reality, Romanticism's superiority over Rationalism, a fascination for God's revelation make Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Birthmark" Romantic literature. When the quest for human feat opposes divine setup, it has no chance of prospering. In fact, trying to flee from reality and intervening nature recurrently leads to upsetting consequences. In this short narrative, it is salient to discern "that the birthmark is just that: a birthmark, that is, something physical; and a birthmark, that is, something not acquired but inherent, one of Georgiana's givens, in fact, equivalent to" the exquisite personage (Fetterley 2). Furthermore, Aylmer's revulsion for the birthmark is importunate. In other words, it can be said that he is unable to accept the fact that nature cannot be changed or altered. A literary critic proposes that, "[Aylmer] reads [the birthmark] as a sign of the inevitable imperfection of all things in nature and sees in it a challenge to man's ability to transcend nature" (Fetterley 1). In addition, Aylmer is so haughty of his knowledge that he remains unwavering in doing what he should never have done and says, "Unless all my science have deceived me, it cannot fail" (Hawthorne 12). His "past experiences, his dreams, every evidence tells him that this experiment will be fatal for Georgiana, yet he proceeds" (Eckstein 1). Nevertheless, his nightmares about the pygmy birthmark constrain him to emancipate himself from any kind of rules leading him to perform the fatal experiment of eliminating something that is inherent and indigenous. Beside... ...ect all along. Surely, the aim of scientific knowledge is to try to make the world a better and convenient place to live, not to learn to play with God's revelation. The birthmark consecutively symbolizes nature, exquisiteness and demise. Likewise, nature places numerous flaws and shortcomings on us to symbolize that no person can reach perfection. What is the lesson behind this moral allegory? The world's destiny, howsoever tragic it is, is not only under the direct control of God but also nature. Man has absolutely nothing to do with destiny. Hawthorne wants us to comprehend that happiness should be more inclined toward spirituality and affection than worldly gains. Nathaniel Hawthorne beautifully proposes, "Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you."