Use Of Moral Criticism In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birthmark

For the duration of history, beauty has constantly been redefined and sought for by many. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, “The Birthmark,” the main characters, Aylmer and Georgiana, seek a cure for Georgiana’s crimson, hand-shaped birthmark on her cheek, which in Aylmer’s opinion is the only thing that renders her imperfect. Throughout the story, the couple’s attempt to achieve perfection in beauty, becomes their fatal flaw which ultimately results in Georgiana’s death. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote this book using Moral Criticism to condemn humankind constantly seeking perfection, using both foreshadowing and descriptive writing, that perfection is unattainable, and obsessing over achieving it can lead to one’s own fatal flaw, even in today’s day in age.
Hawthorne specifically uses Moral Criticism, while telling the story of a …show more content…
Hawthorne also used foreshadowing for readers to contemplate and hypothesize the outcome of Georgiana and her birthmark. An example of Hawthorne’s most evident uses of foreshadowing would the be event preceding Georgiana’s death. “Aylmer's past experiments, his dream, every evidence tells him this experiment will be fatal for Georgiana, yet he proceeds” (514, Eckstein). The foreshadowing Hawthorne involves within, “The Birthmark,” provoke Georgiana’s death early within the story. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s allegory, “The Birthmark,” many literary elements are used to subtly morally criticize humanity. Using both descriptive writing and foreshadowing, as well as many other elements, Hawthorne is able to to tell the story of a perfection seeking couple whose greed of supremacy leads to their fatal flaw. Hawthorne tells this story in an attempt for readers to relate the story to their own lives and learn that constantly seeking perfection is unrealistic, unattainable, and may lead to humankind’s own fatal