FREE ESSAY ON BIRTHMARK - HAWTHORNE

BIRTHMARK - HAWTHORNE

The Birthmark
How does Hawthorne in the Birthmark use Irony, Ambiguity, Paradox, and Symbol?
Ambiguity: Two different interpretations can be used to describe Georgiana's character.
At first she seems to be a strong confident women who is very self assured. Only after
the constant focus of her husband's attention to her birthmark, does she begin to willow
away. When Aylmer gives her the elixir to drink, Georgiana has submitted to doing
whatever in necessary to relieve her husband from his misery caused by her birthmark.
Irony: The removal of the birthmark was an event in irony. Aylmer and Georgiana did not
know that the mark provided the life blood to his wife. After the removal of the
birthmark, Aylmer's wife was perfect for a short few moments, only to die.
Paradox: A statement that seems contrary to common sense. Georgiana states during a
discussion with her husband let the attempt be made at whatever the risk. Danger is
nothing for me; for life, while this hateful mark makes me the object of your horror and
disgust... Common sense would allow Georgiana to tell Aylmer that if he did not like the
beauty mark, he should leave her for a women who would be perfect in her eyes. Instead,
Georgiana is demanding he do whatever necessary to remove the birthmark no matter what
the consequences. 
Symbol: The actual birthmark is one of the most prominent uses of symbol in his story.
The birthmark has references to life, death, beauty and disgust. 
In much of his fiction Hawthorne treats Pride as an evil. Is an evil type of pride
evident in the Birthmark?
Following are two examples of where I found a reader could interpret Aylmer's pride as
evil. Aylmer states Even Pygmalion, when his sculptured woman assumed life, felt not
greater ecstasy than mine will be. Aylmer is already feeling the evil pride of his
upcoming sculpture, regardless of the consequences. His confidence could be interpreted
as a cocky pride. I am sure if the removal of the birthmark was successful, he would have
opened a circus type show to display his great work.
The other reference to Aylmer's evil is 
Is the Birthmark morally ambiguous?
The momentary circumstances was too strong for him; he failed to look beyond the shadowy
scope of time, and, living once for all in eternity, to find the perfect future in the
present
This statement could be interpreted morally in many ways. The most commanding part of
this sentence to me was to find the perfect future in the present. This sentence alone
has a powerful meaning. If only Aylmer had followed his own thought, the story would have
had an entirely different ending. 
Hawthorne writes I have sometimes produced a singular and not unpleasing effect...by
imagining a train of incidents in which the spirit and mechanism of the fairyland should
be combined with the characters and manners of familiar life. What fantastic elements
does Hawthorne use in the Birthmark?
Hawthorne uses many magical words a few are listed with definitions below.
Spectral - supernatural
alchemists - wizard 
elixir - magic potion
There is many references to a fairyland in the reading, especially when referencing the
elixir Aylmer was preparing for Georgiana. When Georgiana noticed the liquid inside of
the globe, she said  It is so beautiful to the eye that I could imagine it the elixir of
life. The beauty of the potion's color was strong enough to attract attention and
curiosity. 
Another reference to the fantasy world in the Birthmark was Aylmer's statement to
Georgiana when he caught her reading his large folio containing all of his potions.
Aylmer said It is dangerous to read in a sorcerer's books.