The+Birthmark

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__**SUMMARY:**__ "The Birthmark" is set back in the late 18th century, where Alymer is a brilliant and well accomplished scientist and philosopher. A complete workaholic, he finds little time for anything but his science until he meets and marries a beautiful young woman named Georgiana. She has been sought after by many men and has been the object of jealousy and envy for her almost perfect physical beauty. Her one imperfection being a small red hand shaped birthmark on her cheek. At first, Alymer doesn't even notice the mark but after a while he becomes obsessed, only being able to see his wife as a measure of her imperfection. They have a conversation where Alymer asked if Georgiana has ever considered removing the mark. Georgiana, is at first offended but after further questioning realizes the depth of her husbands disdain for her blemish and sees that there is no other way for them to be happy without her removing it. Through his mastery of science, he pledges he can remove the evil mark. The story takes an interesting turn as they move to his laboratory, where Georgiana is made guinea pig for many theoretical experiments by the hand of her husband. It seems that Alymer's love for his wife is now secondary to his fascination with 'curing' her. They talk about alchemy and finding 'Elixirs of Immortality"; Georgiana is appalled by Alymer's desire to control what is natural. At this point she seems skeptical but her opinion of Alymer changes again after reading some of his scientific journals, where he talks about his success's but mostly his failures. She relates with his vulnerability again agrees then to do whatever he wants. After hours of slaving away in the lab, Alymer is convinced he has finally found the potion to remove the mark. After drinking, she falls into a sleep state while Alymer watches vigilantly as the mark seems to be fading from her skin. When she wakes, Alymer begins to exuberantly rejoice in the success of his treatment. The treatment is not successful though, Georgiana grows ever paler and it becomes apparent she is actually dying. Her final words to her husband, "Do not repent, that, with so high and pure a feeling, you have rejected the best earth could offer."

Some of the topics in "The Birthmark" are: nature vs. science, love and beauty, ethics, power and technology, "playing god".
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I found "The Birthmark" to be a very interesting story but a hard read. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote and published this story back in 1843 so the language is wordy and outdated. He is very descriptive about the characters and the actions taking place but in long draw out sentences. I imagine that this was very characteristic of other literature of this era. I had to reread the story a few times before i was really able to grasp what was actually happening. So if you are up for a challenge, this might be for you.
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The subject matter also reflects the era in which it was written, but unlike the language, it still has relevance today. Around the time this story was written, the Industrial Revolution was in full swing and scientific discovery was booming. Technology was being created so fast and the possibilities seemed endless, hence raising some questions about was is right and wrong. This is debate still goes on today, most recently with intelligent technology and stem cells. The literature of this era is reflective of these struggles. Around the same time, Mary Shelley wrote //Frankenstien//, a book about creating a monster through science. I think if you have an interest in science or ethics, this story will be intriguing.

The story itself is very tragic. It is sad that the beautiful wife Georgiana is made to feel bad for her imperfections and than later dies trying to change who she was based on her husbands perception of her. Alymer's character is also tragic because it seems he really 'loves' his wife but is so burdened by his own narcissism and desired for control that he can't see the error in his plan, until its too late. It raises the question is perfection attainable? What does it mean to be perfect? I think our society is certainly obsessed with perfection in some aspects. For instance, look at all of beautiful movie stars in Hollywood that are all over our TVs, and magazines or that fitness and dieting are billion dollar industries. How many people have had braces to fix their teeth? A cosmetic and unnecessary expense. Some will even go as far as having plastic to surgery. But in other aspects society now, maybe more than ever, seems to cherish our diversity. Millions tune in every week to watch reality TV, musicians are singing about 'big booty's" and we celebrate actors like Chris Farley and Oprah who are notorious for being overweight. I think that this story will probably strike a chord with most readers today based around our current values.

__**WORKS CITED:**__ Hawthorne, Nathaniel.// “The Birthmark”. Literature and the Writing Process, // Ed. Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X Day, Robert Funk, and Linda Coleman. 10th Edition. Pearson, 2014. 215-225. Print.

= WIKI PART 2 =

__**RESOURCES:**__

**Internet Resource**: Information on [|Nathaniel Hawthorne]

This resource can be used to learn biographical information about the author Nathaniel Hawthorne. The article chronicles the life of Hawthorne from his birth and upbringing in Salem, Massachusetts, to his death in 1864.The article also provides some insights into the mind of the popular American writer by giving information about how he spent his time, and his views of the world and politics. He seemed to have a non conformist way of viewing himself and his life, evident in a quote from the article stating his thoughts on careers, “I do not want to be a doctor and live by men's diseases, nor a minister to live by their sins, nor a lawyer and live by their quarrels. So, I don't see that there is anything left for me but to be and author." The writer talks about his rather 'reclusive' life with his wife Sophia, living in New England. It is mentioned that he was part of the Transcendentalist Movement and that he kept company with other well known figures of the time including Ralph Waldo Emerson (leader of the American Transcendentalist Movement), Herman Melville (writer of Moby Dick), and Franklin Pierce (former President of the USA). Some information was given about his collected works such as his most well known novel //The Scarlet Letter,// but it is not the central focus of the article.

"Nathaniel Hawthorne- Biography." The European Graduate School. //Nathaniel Hawthorne.// Web. 1 Apr. 2015. .


 * Database Resource:** Information on [|"The Birthmark"]

In this 1978 article, the writer argues a feminist prespective on the short story "The Birthmark". Judith Fetterley takes a very severe and different approach to other critics stating, "The Birthmark" provides a brilliant analysis of the sexual politics of idealization and a brilliant exposure of the mechanisms whereby hatred can be disguised as love, neurosis can be disguised as science, murder can be disguised as idealization, and success can be disguised as failure". In this article she brings up topics such as: role reversal; the shallow and dishonest character Alymer who is obsessed with appearances; and man's need to punish women for their sexuality. While the article may seem to be a harsh analysis with a clear agenda, the author defends her statements in coherent ways supported by ample evidence to substantiate her claims. It is important to note that this is not a piece bashing the author Nathaniel Hawthorne, she eludes to Hawthorne also wanting the audience to see the error in the 'male' system, "In exploring the source of men's compulsion to idealize women Hawthorne is writing a story about the sickness of men, not a story about the flawed and imperfect nature of women".

Fetterley, Judith. "Women Beware Science: 'The Birthmark.'." //Critical Essays on Hawthorne's Short Stories//. Ed. Albert J. von Frank. Boston, Mass.: G. K. Hall & Co., 1991. 164-172. Rpt. in //Short Story Criticism//. Ed. Rachelle Mucha and Thomas J. Schoenberg. Vol. 89. Detroit: Gale, 2006. //Literature Resource Center//. Web. 3 Apr. 2015.