• Home Page
  • Beauty Standards In The Birth-Mark By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Beauty Standards In The Birth-Mark By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Decent Essays
Show More
"The Birth-Mark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, emphasizes how important standards are throughout his writing by focusing on beauty standards, psychological abuse and sacrifice. Hawthorne begins his short story by addressing the fact that Georgina has a birthmark and reveals that the main character and alchemist, Aylmer, with the help of his assistant, Aminidab, can remove it by making a potion to make his wife's imperfection disappear. Reaching out to Georgina about the birthmark and adding that he can remove it tells that he is caught up in the way of beauty standards much like today's world is. People in today's time as well as people in the early 1800's are so concerned to have the perfect look that they will do whatever it takes to reach the

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The Theme Of Pride In Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston
    • 1100 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Theme Of Pride In Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston

    Zora Neale Hurston’s book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, has powerful messages that convey how strong she was and how she overcame adversity to obtain the American Dream. She influenced many soon-to-be writers and people because of her notorious attitude to never give up or have peoples sinister words bring her down. She strived to be a significant leader (unlike most of the trivial people she knew). Zora’s eventful past was infused with memories, lessons, and pain to make her the person she was. Without those experiences she would have never influenced this many people through her words, actions, books, or attitude.…

    • 1100 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    'Perfectionism In The Birthmark' By Nathaniel Hawthorne
    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages

    'Perfectionism In The Birthmark' By Nathaniel Hawthorne

    In the early Nineteenth Century, Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of America’s most important writers since the publication of The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne was known as a romancer and even a realist when writing many of his pieces. When writing the short story, The Birthmark, Hawthorne say that it was one of two of his most challenging stories. The story is about a crazed scientist Aylmer and his wife Georgiana and his hatred towards Georgiana’s birthmark. Aylmer caused Georgiana to hate herself because of the birthmark.…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Decent Essays

    Character Analysis: The Birthmark
    • 437 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Character Analysis: The Birthmark

    One side were the Light Romantics and the other side, Nathaniel Hawthorne was part of it, the Dark Romantics. The Dark Romantics shared the twisted and dark fantasies of the human mind, which "The Birth Mark" did. This quote brings a different approach to American Culture since, most of the time everyone has just been talking about the development of how people live and how they judge others based on race while, something like this quote portrays the insanity of the human mind, and how the human mind thinks. "The Birth Mark" is just one of many examples that advanced the cultures that some people had or have even today, for example today there is a subculture called Goth where it describes anything from music to just dress where it gives people a dark…

    • 437 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Importance Of Narcissism In Hawthorne's The Birthmark
    • 1068 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Importance Of Narcissism In Hawthorne's The Birthmark

    In Hawthorne’s short story “The Birthmark,” Aylmer is a brilliant yet misguided philosopher who is overly obsessed with his wife Georgiana’s birthmark. The red birthmark is placed on the left side of her face and is shaped like a hand. He begins to strongly hate the birthmark and bluntly tells his wife that it must be removed because the birthmark is her only flaw. Aylmer decides to use her as an experiment to get rid of the birthmark to make her his idea of perfect. Of course with the help from Aylmer’s assistant Aminadad.…

    • 1068 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    The Birthmark Literary Analysis
    • 1779 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The Birthmark Literary Analysis

    The setting of “The Birthmark” is a key to the insight into in Aylmers hatred of the birthmark on his wife’s cheek. As the couple sits together late one evening the lighting is described as to have "hardly to betray the strain" (Hawthorne 7) of the birthmark on Albert's "poor wife's cheek"(Hawthorne 7). This setting brings out the underlying tension Albert has for the birthmark by emphasizing his wanting of the birthmark to be hidden anyway possible. In comparison, the setting of a different scene highlights Aylmer's love towards Georgiana. Aylmer is a devoted scientist, but when he meets Georgiana everything changes.…

    • 1779 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    The Roles Of Women In The Birthmark, By Nathaniel Hawthorne
    • 1283 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Roles Of Women In The Birthmark, By Nathaniel Hawthorne

    Weak, domestic, and familial are some of the words women in the nineteenth century were defined as. The societal expectations of wives during the nineteenth century included separate spheres, roles that they had at home, devotion they showed towards their husbands, and education they had. In the short story, “The Birthmark”, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in the nineteenth century gives an internal view of roles between women and men. Aylmer a men that craved science experiments, science being the main source for him, science being the one for him, he compared his love for science with the love of Georgiana, his wife. Georgiana a young woman, fancied by many men, and was very beautiful, but she had a charm on her left cheek that was seen…

    • 1283 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    The Pursuit Of Humanity In The Birthmark By Nathaniel Hawthorne
    • 1336 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Pursuit Of Humanity In The Birthmark By Nathaniel Hawthorne

    Through her death Hawthorne argues that the pursuit for perfection will ultimately leave one to nothing. His argument is revealed through the concepts that humanity is flawed because they are mortal, science cannot replace God, and perfection ultimately comes with a cost. Topic Sentence 1: One of the most important symbols presented throughout Hawthorne’s short story is Aylmer’s wife, Georgiana’s, birthmark. The birthmark symbolizes multiple things such as humanity’s flaws, insecurities, and weaknesses, which ultimately ends with the the idea of human mortality. Georgiana is a beautiful woman who is desirable by many men, however her hand-shaped birthmark…

    • 1336 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Conformity And Individuality In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
    • 1663 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Conformity And Individuality In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

    The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was written in a time when conformity was necessary for survival, while individuality was condemned. Those who conform to society do so because they fear being different and value being accepted. Those who choose not to conform, are often punished, whether that meaning literally or socially. Those who fear differences, humiliate and ridicule those who are different and use them to scare others to stick to the social norm. It is necessary for societies to possess strong individuals even though they struggle against it.…

    • 1663 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Feminism In The Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne
    • 1122 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Feminism In The Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne

    Has the definition of feminism changed over the years, or has it become stagnant? Does the feminism people fight for today correlate with the feminism that Nathaniel Hawthorne witnessed? And finally, does his novel, The Scarlet Letter reflect feminist viewpoints in a positive manner, or masked misogyny? The general consensus is that The Scarlet Letter was written as a pro-feminist novel, seeing as Hester Prynne is considered one of the first feminist role models in American literature. Hester was outcasted in her Puritan community as an adulteress, tortured by her peers and adulterer, and seemingly confined by gender roles, but still prevailed in the end.…

    • 1122 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Theme Of Symbolism In The Birth-Mark By Nathaniel Hawthorne
    • 1261 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Theme Of Symbolism In The Birth-Mark By Nathaniel Hawthorne

    “The Birth-Mark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a story sets itself apart from the many others already read during this semester. Most of the short stories read in this class have had an ironic ending the reader wouldn’t expect. The use of foreshadowing and strange amount of predictability in this short story are what set it apart from others and is what grabbed my attention. Hawthorne uses symbolism that goes even deeper than what can be read in the story itself. Symbolism, foreshadowing, and character build up all tie into the plot, which altogether leads the reader to the overall theme of the story.…

    • 1261 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Conformity In The Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne
    • 1258 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Conformity In The Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne

    Throughout the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne explores themes of conformity through Hester Prynne´s various relationships. Hawthorne illustrates three relationships in which Hester can frequently be seen both conforming to and rejecting societal expectations regarding how a woman should act, and for different purposes. As is demonstrated throughout the novel, Hester will -by nature- resist norms and expectations, but can be seen conforming when doing so will ultimately benefit her. Hester frequently conforms by means of appeasing someone of a higher power, to create a bridge of trust between them. As is reflected in her relationships with the Puritan church, Roger Chillingworth and Arthur Dimmesdale, Hester only conforms to expectations…

    • 1258 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Trials Of Girlhood By Harriet Jacobs
    • 1553 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Trials Of Girlhood By Harriet Jacobs

    Harriet Jacobs was born a slave in Edenton, North Carolina but died a free woman and abolitionist (HJ XXI). She was unaware of her status as a slave until she was about six years old while living with close relations to her mother, father, brother, and grandmother (HJ 5). Throughout Jacobs’ life, the struggle with religion was apparent in her novel, constantly torn between the belief and doubt in a good higher power. Harriet Jacob’s views of religion wavers throughout her lifetime.…

    • 1553 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Theme Of Perfection In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birthmark
    • 1108 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Theme Of Perfection In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birthmark

    No one is ‘perfect’. Perfection is a word we misuse to describe those who we think are above us in terms of power, beauty and much more. We often criticize those around us and ourselves due to our infinite imperfections while we should be focusing on other aspects of life. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birthmark”, the primary focus is on human perfection as the protagonist tries to restructure the face of his wife, but it ultimately leads to her demise. This story is a mirror of life since it depicts that humans are flawed beings by our appearance or the way we are obsessed with finding flaws in others, and we should embrace others and our flaws.…

    • 1108 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Literary Analysis Of 'The Birth-Mark' By Nathaniel Hawthorne
    • 1002 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Literary Analysis Of 'The Birth-Mark' By Nathaniel Hawthorne

    Literary Analysis of “The Birth-Mark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, “The Birth-Mark”, illustrates the characteristics of Romantic literature through allegory and symbolism. Romanticism is a type of literature or attitude that arose during the late 18th century and mid-19th century. Romanticism focused primarily on imagination, appreciation of nature and feelings and emotions over science. The purpose of this research is to explain how Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Romantic literature to warn his audience of the destructive potential of an obsession with science and the human desire for perfection and to explain what exactly motivated Aylmer in the first place. In “The Birth-Mark”, Aylmer, a newly wed, notices a small birthmark…

    • 1002 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Nature And Science In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birthmark
    • 852 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Nature And Science In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birthmark

    Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story The Birthmark features Aylmer, a famed scientist, and Georgiana, a beautiful woman with a unique birthmark. Throughout the story, the couple delves into the world of science as Aylmer devotes himself to removing Georgiana’s birthmark with his experiments. Hawthorne purposely pokes at scientists who envision themselves as godlike, meaning that they can control nature at their will. As the story delves further and further into Aylmer’s madness, the distinction between nature and science is made clear. The Birthmark tells readers that although science can allude humans into taking they can determine fate, at the end of it all, the true destiny of everyone and everything relies on nature.…

    • 852 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings