Comparing Nature In The Yellow Wallpaper, And The Open Boat

Convention’s struggle against nature is one that has existed since the beginning of time. Whether it be through illnesses, facing the elements, or suppressing one’s natural tendencies and desires, man has always suffered greatly from challenging the ways of nature. Man himself is a natural creature; however, due to his own pride, he has been turned against nature, and towards the industrial habits of convention. In the three short stories “The Birth-Mark,” “The Yellow Wallpaper,” and “The Open Boat,” the reader sees this theme of man’s failure to control nature, as well as the risks he takes in order to do so. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birth-Mark,” Aylmer, a married scientist, believes himself to be above nature. Acting on these beliefs, he prepares

However, Aylmer’s plan does not go as intended, and after utilizing several different methods, he only faintly removes the mark and unintentionally kills his wife. In order to prove his supernatural state, Aylmer attempts to remove a birth-mark from his wife’s face; the consequences of these actions prove that regardless of one’s ideas regarding nature, attempting to conquer it will ultimately result in devastation. The attempted removal of Georgiana’s birthmark by Aylmer signifies a desire to conquer nature and reveals a hidden quality within Aylmer. The first instance in which the reader sees Aylmer trying to conquer or control nature is subtle, it is near the beginning of the story and the narrator says “[Aylmer] persuaded a beautiful woman to become his wife” (211). The common belief is that love occurs naturally and cannot be forced. It seems as though the narrator chooses to state that Aylmer persuaded his wife, rather than fell in love with her, in order to indicate early on in the text Aylmer’s tendencies toward manipulating nature. Later in the