Brandorff 1

Amanda Brandorff Professor Angie Jacobs ENC 1102 1 April 2014 Research Proposal for the Analysis of Nathaniel Hawthornes The Birth-Mark Nathaniel Hawthorne was a powerful writer in the early to mid 18th century. His works encompassed many different characteristics of writing. He used fiction as a way to explore his feelings and the different moral stances of human soul and sin. During this time period it is not uncommon for aspects of feminism to appear in writing. This literary criticism is evident when the literature can either reinforce or undermine the political, social, economic and psychological oppression of woman. Hawthornes The Birth-Mark touches on some of these elements in its content. Georgiana is willing to do whatever is takes to remove the mark if it will rid her husband of its horror. Throughout the story the mark is symbolic of many things: Humanity, human flaw, science versus nature and who Georgiana is. Hawthorne shows the science versus the nature in the attempt to remove the mark to make his wife more beautiful in his eyes, while truly his science is destroying the object of his research and affection. The Birth-Mark is portrayed as a symbol that also ties into the theme of human obsession with perfection and Science versus Nature. Nature itself was made to prevent man from achieving ultimate perfection. In order to be human one must not be perfect and have flaws and imperfections just like the rest of nature. Humans are not perfect and nowhere near but we strive for perfection and immortality instead of settling for the best it has to offer, which is Georgiana with her birthmark. Mary E. Rucker

Brandorff 2 pointed out that Hawthornes own moral issues help make him directly put humanity against nature in the stories theme. Even though Aylmer loves Georgiana he tries to take away her humanity with the use of science only to reward his own selfish masculine emotions.