Women in The Birthmark Essay -- Birthmark Essays

The Birthmark Women Everything he has to say is related, finally, to that inward sphere. For the heart is the meeting-place of all the forces unearthly and physical, light and dark, that compete for dominance in mans nature. . . . (McPherson 68-69). McPhersons heart is the key to understanding the role of women in Nathaniel Hawthornes tale, The Birthmark. Only deformity is what nearsighted Aylmer sees in the birthmark on Georgianas cheek. But he is unfortunately oblivious to the virtue in her soul, the deep beauty contained in the abstrusity of her love for him. The wifes virtue leads her onward and upward the husbands lack thereof and inability to appreciate virtue in his Georgiana leads him downwards and downward. The concept of women is established in the very opening paragraph of The Birthmark. The narrator introduces Aylmer as a scientist who found a spiritual affinity more pleasing than any chemical one, referring to his love for Georgiana. She is portrayed as havin g meaning in Aylmers life not in first place, but in turn place to his scientific interests. Even after Aylmer has persuaded a beautiful woman to become his wife, he is not capable of loving her properly, unselfishly, because he had devoted himself, however, to a fault unreservedly to scientific studies ever to be weaned from them by any second passion. The narrator seeks to justify this error or lack in Aylmer by explaining that it was not unusual for the love of science to rival the love of woman in its depth and absorbing energy. Already at the outset of the tale, the reader perceives that Georgiana is handout to be shortchanged in this marriage. She is exposed to the problem initial... ...el . The Birthmark Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library http//etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=HawBirt.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=1& sectionalization=div1 McPherson, Hugo. Hawthornes Use of Mythology. In Readi ngs on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA Greenhaven Press, 1996. Stewart, Randall. Hawthornes Female Characters. In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA Greenhaven Press, 1996. Swisher, Clarice. Nathaniel Hawthorne a Biography. In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA Greenhaven Press, 1996. Williams, Stanley T. Hawthornes Puritan Mind. In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA Greenhaven Press, 1996.