Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Birth-Mark.

In my opinion, the main idea of the work is to show that everyone is special and
hasn’t flaws. You need to love and perceive yourself as you are, not think about how to
change yourself and what to do better. In this way you lose your individuality and
become like the rest of the people in the crowd.

Georgiana was an incredibly beautiful woman, she was a perfection for her
husband and others. Thanks to her native, Georgiana had many fans who wanted to kiss
her on the cheek, but Aylmer did not appreciate it. He was a man of science and wanted
everything to be perfect. The thought of removing the birthmark became obsessive, and
the man's dissatisfaction with this defect increased day by day, and at the end of the
work became so unbearable that Georgiana herself could no longer tolerate this visible
sign of imperfection on her face.

Georgiana is described as weak, a woman ready to sacrifice for love. Aylmer, on

the other hand, is confident in the success of his experiment, stubborn, serious. He
studied the human body for a long time, tried to understand the secret process of human
creation, tried to find the truth, but without success. He conducted many experiments on
his wife, risking her health just to succeed in the planned. In this work, we see a clear
advantage of love of science over love of woman.

They also have different views on science, for example, when Aylmer shows his
beloved a flower he created himself, and with trepidation does not even dare to touch it,
while the scientist asks her to just pick and breathe. She treats science with horror,
trusting only the highest forces of nature. The moment that foretells the death of the girl
in the short story "Birthmark" is the realization of Georgiana that all of Aylmer's past
successes were defeated, and therefore, this experiment is no exception. At the end of
the work, Aylmer achieved the perfection he wanted, but with the death of a woman. It
was also symbolized by a flower that bloomed yellow after Aylmer poured liquid there.

Nathaniel Hawthorne. The May-Pole of Merry Mount

This work describes two groups of people who are part of America: the group
living in Mary Mount and the Puritans. The Puritans wanted to destroy Mary Mount.
The story itself takes place on the eve of summer in New England The Maypole of
Merry Mount. The Merry Mountains cheerfully celebrate the wedding day of Edgar and
Edith, their two inhabitants. On this occasion, some are dressed, for example, as
animals, Indians or fools. The whole community dances around the Maypole. The
celebration was interrupted by the arrival of the Puritan group, because they provoked
them with a fun way of life. The Puritan leader, John Endicott, cuts down a grass tree,
orders other Puritans to beat a few Merry Horns and take them prisoner, and to give
them additional punishments for their behavior. When Endicott approaches Edgar and
Edith, they both try to punish the other. Hawthorne reveals the theme of love in this
work and shows that it can bring not only joy but also pain. He shows. that people have
the values of married life, so the leader of the Puritans treats them leniently. In the
work, the Puritans are described as a very rude, determined people, but hardworking.
They were very pious, began to pray before sunrise, even at night.

Endicott combines all the character traits that are essential to the Puritans, making
him a symbol of this community. Endicott is not guided by his personal feelings, but
instead carries out the will of the Puritans. His actions and words represent everyone
puritan. Puritans must follow strict rules that are divine to them. Part of these rules is
the cooperation of all. Because merry dancing was not suitable for a strict man or
woman of God, the Puritans were against the settlement of Mary Mount.

Hawthorne portrays the Merry Mount as a caring crowd, portraying them as the
extreme opposite of the Puritans. The settlement of Merry Mount is described as a
gathering of different kinds of people, such as minstrels, wandering players, ripples and
other characters, whose only purpose in life is to spread joy in their roles. Each
inhabitant of the settlement is distinguished by his individuality. There is a peaceful
atmosphere between humans and wild creatures. Residents have to hide such a feeling
as sadness, because it is considered treason. Merry Mountain is a paradise. The flowers
on the May pillar look very beautiful. The Maypole of the Merry Mountain is full of
brilliant use of literary techniques. This is used to give the stories more interesting
colors. In my opinion, Hawthorne shows us the life of two completely different
settlements, with different views on life and opposite values.