The Fate of Women in The Birthmark Essay -- Birthmark Essays

The Fate of Women in The Birthmark Wilson Sullivan in Nathaniel Hawthorne in New England Men of Letters states that Nathaniel Hawthornes tale, The Birthmark, depicts the efforts of a deranged scientist to obtain gibe perfection in his wife by removal of a facial blemish. In this story the scientist operates on the superficial level of the physical world, while the woman, the authentically heroic woman, functions on the level of the heart and soul, the more significant level. She it is who in her virtue provides for the reader an example to live by, even though she loses her life in the process. This essay hopes to explore the status, role, attitude toward women and other such issues. Alfred Kazin in the Introduction to Selected Short Stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne comments regarding the central idea in the authors short stories In story after story the given element, the central and unifying element, is what moves and stirs within us, the mysterious springs of our every action, our soul(Kazin 14). The secret to understanding the role and concept of women in Nathaniel Hawthornes tale, The Birthmark lies in the readers appreciation of Kazins statement above. The woman who sets a shining example for the reader is a specialiser in soul development, whereas her counterpart, the male scientist, is a scientist of the physical world only. Another literary critic, in Hawthornes Use of Mythology, relates his similar interpretation of the essence of Hawthornes stories Everything he has to say is related, finally, to that inward sphere. For the heart is the meeting-place of all the forces spiritual and physical, light and dark, that compete for dominance in mans nature. . . . (McPherson ... ...horne A Collection of unfavorable Essays, edit by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966. McPherson, Hugo. Hawthornes Use of Mythology. In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA Greenhaven Press, 1996. Stewart, Randal l. Hawthornes Female Characters. In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA Greenhaven Press, 1996. Sullivan, Wilson. Nathaniel Hawthorne. In New England Men of Letters. New York Macmillan Co., 1972. 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.