theme of "The Birth Mark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne

          Whether hanging in a tree, floating in water, or sleeping in bed humans are an imperfect species. Seeing people as flawed beings is not a mere perception, rather it is fact, proven by the limitations of mental and physical dexterity. A single person cannot retain all the world's information any more than one man can live forever. Though such natural observations are undeniable they have perplexed some of human history's greatest minds. In Nathanial Hawthorne's "The Birth Mark" Aylmer, an elite scientist, is crazed with the idea of perfection and determined to create it by means of his beloved wife, Georgiana. However, he is met with grave consequence that leads the reader to ask "Should anyone contend with earth's natural order?".
            Hawthorne was an American writer during the 19th century (The American Novel). Though this biographical information does not define all of his works, it does help to widen the perspective of the reader. He was alive during the aftermath of a drastic world-wide shift, concerning just about every aspect of society, known as the Industrial Revolution. The scientist within "The Birth Mark", I believe, is symbolic of those who lead this radical transformation, explaining why the story carefully opens by describing him as belonging to the 18th century (Hawthorne, 218).

 

1. Hawthorne, N. (2011). The Birth-Mark. In A. Booth, & K. J. Mays, The Norton Introduction to Literature Portable Tenth Edition (pp. 218-231). New York, London: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

2. The American Novel - Nathaniel Hawthorne. (2007). Retrieved from PBS: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americannovel/timeline/hawthorne.html