Sin And Morality In The Birthmark By Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Romantic Era of literature produced some of the most well known American authors and short stories today, most especially including The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Extending from the mid to late nineteenth century, a great number of essayists, dramatists, authors, and impressionists contributed to the overall advancement of literature as a whole before leading up to the Transcendental movement that Hawthorne chose to break apart from. The division from popular literary movements that Hawthorne underwent stemmed from the isolated and mysteriously dark life that he led leading up to the publication of The Birthmark. The authorship of this short story emulates an obscure, gloomy form of literature that became custom for Hawthorne around

Physical beauty and the unmoral evil that imperfection calls upon is represented through the protagonists wife Georgiana. The themes of sin and morality fit within the tradition of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s isolated lifestyle, the dark form of romanticism that depicts humans as naturally evil, and elements of fiction centered around human imperfection.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s isolated and lonely early life reflect the tradition of his short stories, and help to further develop the theme of sin and morality in The Birthmark.

A natural philosopher named Aylmer, fixated on science and alchemy, temporarily halts his addiction to experimentation and marries a young woman named Georgiana. Shortly after being married, Aylmer comments on a small hand shaped red flesh mark deeply engraved on Georgiana’s pure white cheek. This troubles Georgiana, but she agrees with Aylmer to move back to his scientific quarters. Georgiana agrees to allow Aylmer to remove the birthmark, and throughout the process,

The third person narration of this short story indicates Hawthorne himself, who openly critiques Aylmer and seems to side with the morally correct side of accepting a natural human beauty. A large portion of Aylmer’s return home to his scientific headquarters includes the description of his previous occupation as a scientist. When Georgiana suspiciously falls deeper in love with Aylmer during the process of removing her red blemish, the narrator seems to distance his understanding of what is morally correct and begins to side with Aylmer as well. A sudden and dramatic shift in appreciation for Aylmer occurs when Georgiana pries through the journals of her husband. The narration melodramatically turns the attention of the reader from critiquing Aylmer for offending his wife, to appreciating him for attempting to alter her beauty. “Her [Georgiana] heart exulted, at his [Aylmer] honorable love—so pure and lofty that it would accept nothing less than perfection nor miserably make itself contented with an earthlier nature than he had dreamed of.” The narration completely shifts the point of view when Georgiana accepts her husband’s control. The setting seems much brighter and loving from this point on until Aylmer’s concoction kills his wife. A miserable and unwelcoming short story setting transforms into a bright