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1、Birthmark is one of Nathaniel Hawthrones short stories. It was written in 1845. Hawthrone is an American greatest romantic novelist. He was born in a Pretigious New England family closely related with Puritan church. He wrote lots of works on everlasting evil side in human nature. Birthmark reflects
2、 the theme of Hawthrones writing. The main character of the story, Aylmer , is a intelligent scientist. He married with a quiet beautiful, pretty woman, Georgiana. She is a nearly perfect example of beauty except for a small hand shaped birthmark upon her check. After their marriage, Aylmer didnt li
3、ke the little crimson hand on his wifes check. Day after day, he became more and more obsessed with the birthmark. Aylmer demanded perfection in his wife. To begin with, Georgiana was very sad about her husbands attitude towards her birthmark. However, in order to please her husband, she agreed to a
4、llow Aylmer perform experiments on her to attempt to remove her birthmark which turned out to be a fatal decision. Georgiana achieved perfection in Aylmers eyes in her dying moments. Then Im going to make comments on the story from three aspects.The character :The main character of the story, Aylmer
5、 , is a man who pursues perfection, and a man who loves his work. He loves science more than he could ever love any human being. He thinks that there is nothing man cannot master or achieve. He loves science more than loves his wife. Before marriage, he wasnt disgusted with Georgianas birthmark. Aft
6、er their marriage, he noticed his wifes imperfection. He thought the little hand on his wifes check is a kind of imperfection. And he wanted a perfect wife. Aylmer is a self serving individual whose only goal is to make his wife perfect for his own sake or perhaps for sciences sake. He is a selfish
7、man. He is a good at science research. He wanted to use science and techonology to remove his wifes birthmark. He had already all what he wanted-success, a charming wife etc. It seems that he should be satisfied with his own life now. On contratrary, he wasnt satisfied. His desire expansed. He wante
8、d to pursue all the things perfect, including his wife. She is very beautiful. There is one point that theres a little hand on her check. However, this little hand couldnt cover her beauty. In my opinion, she is a virtuous woman, and she is a good wife who loves her husband very much. She didnt want
9、 to fight against with her husband. She just submitted to her husband. maybe she just loved her husband so much that she listened to him all the time. When she knew that her husband didnt like her birthmark at first she felt very sad and angry. Nevertheless, she was no choice but to obey her husband
10、 to take a risk. She trust her husband even he made her to death. She was willing to let her husband do experiments on her even she would die. She wanted to please her husband. She didnt like her husband unhappy. She treated her husband as the centre. If I were Georgiana, I wouldnt agree Aylmer to r
11、emove the birthmark. If possible, I would break up with him, or I would tell him what how I think about my birthmark. The birthmark is natural, and god is fair. Its impossible for one to be perfect. Aylmer got married with such a pretty woman. He should be satisfied. The point is that Im not Georgia
12、na, and only Georgiana, this kind of person, can the story have a development and have a climax. Georgiana is flabby. She could make a choice. she should have refused her husbands demand, but she didnt. she could have be herself. Actually, she knew she would take a large risk removing the little han
13、d. Still, she chose to trust her husband, even lost her life. I think Aylmer doesnt love her so much. He just loves her appearance, her beauty, not her soul. At least Georgiana loves him much more. The minor role, Aminadeb, is Aylmers underworker during Aylmers whole scientific career. He is bulky f
14、rame with shaggy hair hanging about his visage. He is a man of low stature. His image isnt so good. In my opinion, he is vulgar and ugly. From the story, I can see that his image is worse than Aylmer, but he is easier to feel satisfaction.The background:Hawthrone(1804-1864) was a great man. He didnt
15、 agree with the optimistic held by transcendentalists towards human nature. Anti-transcendental works from Melville Hawthrone and Edgar Allan Poe all comprise the dark komanticism of literature popular during this time. He was influenced by Puritanism deeply. He was not a puritan ancestors who playe
16、d an important role in his life and works. Many of his short stories have been read as moral allegories influenced by his puritan background. There are many kinds of themes in his writing. Such as moral allegories, hypocrisy, the sinful man, the dark side of human nature and religious in nature. Haw
17、throne took a great interest in history and antiquity. Hawthrones writing style: 1. The use of symbol. Symbols serve as a weapon to attack reality.2. Revelation of characters psychology. He was good at exploring the complexity of human psychology. 3. There isnt much movement going on in his works. 4
18、. The use of supernatural mixed with the actual. 5. The use of ambignity to keep the reader in the world of uncertain.-multiple point of view. The style of the story used supernatural mixed with actual( the apotheosized science and the birthmark). It also used the symbol. Both of the hero and heroin
19、e have a symbol meaning. The husband, Aylmer, as a scientist, is the incarnation of modern science and civilization in the 19th century. He is firmly convinced that the power of science can change the rule of nature and strive to model the world as humans will to satisfy their subjective wishes. The
20、 19th century is the high speed development times. Aylmers ideas reflect peoples ideology techonology at that time. And the wife, Georgiana, is the incarnation of nature. Hawthrone described her a very beautiful woman at first. Besides, her loyalty and obedience make her different from her husband.
21、Her husband is a vanity and greedy man, and he attempt to depend on his scientific techonology to remove his wifes imperfection. In fact, she felt that the little hand on her left check didnt lower her beauty. The basis of her obedience is her love. It was said that hawthrone took 6 or 7 years to pr
22、epare for the short story. An idea strikes to me that one had already got what he wanted, but he wanted them to become better. Consequently, he failed and even more worse than before. Hawthrone was annoyed that there was no a specific story that could state it out. Until one day, he found a story wh
23、at he wanted when he was reading a book. The story said that a very young scientist stayed in the laboratory all day to invent something. Finally, he invented a kind of chemic hormone that could activate humans brain. People could reach the highest degree after taking it. Although he succeeded, he b
24、ecame a psychic man at last. The story enrich hawthrones imagination. Then he had the inspiration to write the story. In the story, hawthrone exposed the dark side of human nature. He satirized humans vanity and greedy nature.The plot:Aylmer possessed this degree of faith in mans ultimate control ov
25、er nature. He had devoted himself too unreservedly to scientific studies. He was serious to his science. He loved his young wife, because his wife was so beautiful and charming. However, in the centre of her left check there was a singular mark, deeply interwoven, as it were, with the texture and su
26、bstance of her face. In Aylmers eyes, it was just a imperfection. One day, very soon after their marriage, Aylmer sat gazing at his wife with a trouble in his counterance that grew stronger. He asked his wife“has it ever occurred to you that the birthmark upon your check might be removed?” Georgiana
27、 said no. she perceived that the seriousness of his manner. She told Aylmer she called the birthmark a charm not a flaw. From this I can see that she didnt feel shamed of her birthmark. To her surprised, Aylmer said that she came so nearly perfect from the hand of nature that this slightest possible
28、 defeat, and it shocked him as being the inside mark of earthly imperfection. Georgiana deeply hurt, and at the same time she felt momentary angry. She thought he shouldnt take her from her mothers side and he couldnt love what shocked him. Aylmer pursued perfection, so he couldnt stand his wifes im
29、perfection. Aylmer tried to persuade her to remove the hideous bloody hand which destroyed her beauty. Georgiana was sad about this, and Aylmer was also confused. Seeing her so perfect, Aylmer found this one defect grew more and more intolerable with every moment of their united lives. It was the fa
30、tal flaw of humanity which nature, in one shape or another, stamps ineffaceably on all her productions. The crismson hand expressed the ineludible grip in which mortality clutches the highest and purest of earthly world. In this manner, Aylmer selected it as the symbol of his wifes liability to sin,
31、 sorrow, decay, and death. Aylmers somber imagination was not long in rendering the birthmark a frightful object, causing him more trouble and horror them ever Georgianas beauty. Aylmers desire was so strong that he made a dream of removing the birthmark. Even the knife appeared to have caught hold
32、of her heart, he was inexorably resolved to cut or wrench it away. I can say that he is a cold and bloodless person. He didnt love her from his heart. Georgiana knew his dream. She knew Aylmer was eager for removing her birthmark. Therefore, she said to Aylmer,“if there be remostest possibility of i
33、t, let the attempt be made at whatever risk. Danger is nothing to me.”She couldnt stand it any more. She wanted him to save her from madness. After hearing her answer, Aylmer was rapturous. Then he kissed her right check, not her left check. The next day Aylmer began to undertake his plans. He led h
34、er over the threshold of the laboratory, she was cold and remulous. Unfortunately, she fainted. Aylmer asked Aminadab for help. The description about Aminadab indicated that Aminadab was different from Aylmer. Aminadabs appearance wasnt so handsome, but his heart was kind, not like Aylmer. Aylmers e
35、xperiments failed several times, but at last he did it. He saw the birthmark faded little by little from his wifes check. Georgiana achieved perfection in Aylmers eyes on her dying moments.Conclusion :Hawthrone had said,“there is evil in every human beings heart, which may remain latent, perhaps, th
36、rough the whole life; but circumstance may rouse it to activity.”Whenever there is sin, there is punishment. In all, Aylmer is a vanity and greedy man. He pursues perfection, and he doesnt know how to love a person from the heart. He just loves his scientific research. The birthmark represents the f
37、laws within the human race. What is true perfection, can it be achieved? Humanity is imperfect, and there is no perfection in the physical sense. Nature is beauty, and its the best that earth could offer. The idea that humans can possess a supernatural power to undo and make perfect what is imperfect. I can learn from the story that we should respect nature, or well be punished by nature.
