Literay Analysis Of The Birthmark Of Nathaniel Hawthorne

Here are some examples that show the use of literary devices mentioned in the latter. Hawthorn’s “The Birthmark” presents the readers a two-way interpretation of character, conflict, theme and etc. It gives a sense of ambiguity which drives the reader to arrive to two or more different meanings. One area which ambiguity plays in the story is the interpretation of the characters in the story. Georgiana, for example can be viewed as someone who was confident and self-assured with her birthmark but later on became miserable with it after she knew that her husband disliked it. She told her husband "To tell you the truth it has been so often called a charm that I was simple enough to imagine it might be so." However, when her husband showed his disappointment to the birthmark she submitted to him on removing it, "Remove it, remove it, whatever be the cost, or we shall both go mad!" Furthermore, Georgiana can also be interpreted in two ways in terms of her perception on drinking the elixir. Data has been generated by free lancewriters.com/">Essay Writers.

She drank the elixir that could fade the birthmark because she might want to please her husband and she wanted him to see her perfect in his eyes. On the other hand, Georgiana could also drink the elixir because she wanted to kill herself. In a way of doing that, her husband might realized that “it was the sad confession and continual exemplification of the shortcomings of the composite man, the spirit burdened with clay and working in matter, and of the despair that assails the higher nature at finding itself so miserably thwarted by the earthly part.” She wanted her to realize that all achievements he had done were nothing compared to the works of Nature. Another ambiguity Hawthorn develops in the story is the presentation of the image of Aylmer. He is a man interpreted as someone who is passionate to his wife and passionate to science. It is stated that “His love for his young wife…his love of science, and uniting the strength of the latter to his own.” Maybe, Aylmer’s love to Georgiana might what drive him to find a mean to remove the birthmark.

He was bothered that his wife is not perfect in his sight; and the creation of the elixir would get rid of the flaw which the only thing that makes her imperfect. Furthermore, he also wanted to become a perfect husband to his wife by working something for the perfection of his wife. On the other hand, Aylmer’s love to science is also quite evident. It leads us to think that the reason Aylmer create the elixir is because he wants to prove something what science was capable of. Aylmer said to Georgina, “…you have led me deeper than ever into the heart of science. I feel myself fully competent to render this dear cheek as faultless as its fellow; and then, most beloved, what will be my triumph when I shall have corrected what Nature left imperfect in her fairest work.” It seems that Aylmer view Georgiana’s birthmark as an object of experiment that could make him more known in Science. Besides, at the end of the story Aylmer was happy to see that he was successful in removing the birthmark even his wife was struggling to death.

Lastly, ambiguity is also present in the conflict of the story. It is quite puzzling if the conflict is “Aylmer versus the birthmark” or “Aylmer versus Nature.” Hawthorne draws the reader to closely examine which the character is really into. In the story, Aylmer showed his contempt by saying, “…you came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature that this slightest possible defect…” Aylmer was referring to the birthmark as the defect of the perfect thing Nature had made. Because of his great annoyance to the birthmark, he made something that might eliminate it. However, Aylmer also showed conflict with the Nature. He wanted to alter what Nature had made; thus, driving him to prove that he could play with Nature. Unfortunately, eliminating what Nature gave meant also eliminating life because they were in relationship. Webster’s dictionary defines irony as a language device in which the real intent is concealed or contradicted by the literal meaning of words or a situation. There are three types of irony- verbal irony, dramatic irony and situational irony.