When considering Nathaniel Hawthorne as a writer, one would say guilt is a prevalent motif in his works, but has anyone ever thought about the psychology behind it? It may be difficult to realize, but Hawthorne looks through a psychological lens, especially in The Scarlet Letter and “The Birthmark.” Hawthorne’s characters are his own creations and each one is very distinct. The majority of these characters endure traumatic experiences, and the direction their sanity heads is all up to them. Critics claim that Hawthorne enjoys “minute dissections of his characters’ inner worlds” (Brodhead). This is evident since some characters may thrive from their guilt, while others crumble from their guilt along with the influence of society. Hawthorne
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Aylmer is a brilliant scientist who has a virtually perfect wife, with the exception of having a birthmark on her cheek. In order to achieve perfection, Aylmer goes out of bounds to make a potion that will cure her. As a result, in the end this leads to his wife 's demise; although, it does clear the birthmark. This proves that, “While Aylmer 's struggle is virtually universal, his fixation on Georgiana 's blemish approaches a symptom that is considered characteristic of obsessive-compulsive neurosis in modern-day psycho-pathological terms.” (Quinn and Baldessarini, 2) Throughout the short story Aylmer is very set in changing his wife. That is all he thinks about and by the end, with killing her, his guilt overpowers him. He should realize that no one should fight against nature because in the end he will lose. There were instances where he feels guilty and should realize what he wants to do to his wife is wrong. This is when Aylmer has a dream of cutting off his wife’s birthmark, but ends up cutting through her body, all the way to her heart. When asked about it in the morning, “Aylmer sat in his wife’s presence with a guilty feeling.”(“The Birthmark”). He should realize that no one should fight against nature because in the end he will lose. Nature prevails in the end and although Aylmer does not die, the love of his life does. She means a lot to him because, “His love for his young wife might prove the stronger of the two [science]”(“The Birthmark”). His way of thinking is relatively psychotic throughout this story and he should have let his wife be. His guilt will live with him for the rest of his life and may eventually kill
Aylmer is a brilliant scientist who has a virtually perfect wife, with the exception of having a birthmark on her cheek. In order to achieve perfection, Aylmer goes out of bounds to make a potion that will cure her. As a result, in the end this leads to his wife 's demise; although, it does clear the birthmark. This proves that, “While Aylmer 's struggle is virtually universal, his fixation on Georgiana 's blemish approaches a symptom that is considered characteristic of obsessive-compulsive neurosis in modern-day psycho-pathological terms.” (Quinn and Baldessarini, 2) Throughout the short story Aylmer is very set in changing his wife. That is all he thinks about and by the end, with killing her, his guilt overpowers him. He should realize that no one should fight against nature because in the end he will lose. There were instances where he feels guilty and should realize what he wants to do to his wife is wrong. This is when Aylmer has a dream of cutting off his wife’s birthmark, but ends up cutting through her body, all the way to her heart. When asked about it in the morning, “Aylmer sat in his wife’s presence with a guilty feeling.”(“The Birthmark”). He should realize that no one should fight against nature because in the end he will lose. Nature prevails in the end and although Aylmer does not die, the love of his life does. She means a lot to him because, “His love for his young wife might prove the stronger of the two [science]”(“The Birthmark”). His way of thinking is relatively psychotic throughout this story and he should have let his wife be. His guilt will live with him for the rest of his life and may eventually kill