Women in The Birthmark Essay -- Birthmark Essays

The birthmark Women Everything he has to say is related, fin everyy, to that inward sphere. For the heart is the meeting- come forth of all the forces spiritual and physical, light and dark, that compete for dominance in mans nature. . . . (McPherson 68-69). McPhersons heart is the key to understanding the role of women in Nathaniel Hawthornes tale, The Birthmark. Only imperfection is what nearsighted Aylmer sees in the birthmark on Georgianas cheek. But he is unfortunately oblivious to the fairness in her soul, the dusky beauty contained in the depth of her shaft for him. The wifes virtue leads her onward and upward the husbands lack thereof and unfitness to appreciate virtue in his Georgiana leads him downward and downward. The concept of women is established in the very opening paragraph of The Birthmark. The narrator introduces Aylmer as a scientist who prime a spiritual affinity more attractive than each chemic one, referring to his love for Georgiana. She is portr ayed as having meaning in Aylmers look not in first place, but in second place to his scientific interests. Even after Aylmer has persuaded a beautiful woman to change state his wife, he is not capable of loving her properly, unselfishly, because he had devoted himself, however, alike unreservedly to scientific studies ever to be weaned from them by any second passion. The narrator seeks to justify this error or lack in Aylmer by explaining that it was not unusual for the love of science to rival the love of woman in its depth and absorbing energy. Already at the rise of the tale, the reader perceives that Georgiana is going to be shortchanged in this marriage. She is exposed to the problem initial... ...el . The Birthmark Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library http//etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=HawBirt.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag= familiar&part=1&division=div1 McPherson, Hugo. Hawthornes Use of Mythology. I n Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edit by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA Greenhaven Press, 1996. Stewart, Randall. Hawthornes Female Characters. In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, alter by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA Greenhaven Press, 1996. Swisher, Clarice. Nathaniel Hawthorne a Biography. In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA Greenhaven Press, 1996. Williams, Stanley T. Hawthornes Puritan Mind. In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA Greenhaven Press, 1996.