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... ere to give her such sway over all hearts (The Birthmark 11). It is the predominant characteristic of her face and is heightened when the lady blushes. Besides the mark, her face is filled with beauty. Aylmer becomes fixated with the mark and stares at it until Georgiana learns to shutter at his glance. One night Georgiana confronts her husband about a dream he had about the mark.
In the dream Aylmer works with his assistant to remove the stain from her cheek, but the more he attempts to cut away, the closer he gets to her heart. Georgiana agrees to let Aylmer operate on her face no matter the outcome. She no longer wants to horrify her husband with the deformity that is on her face. Aylmer forms an experiment with the help of his assistant and prepares Georgiana for the removal of the birthmark. She stays in the laboratory while waiting for the experiment to work.
Aylmer happily watches as the scarlet birthmark begins to disappear. After awhile Georgiana leaves the room she is in to locate her husband. She enters his study to find hundreds of books filled with experiments. She is saddened by his failures and begins to weep. Aylmer finds her in this position and scolds her for reading his journal.
It is dangerous for reading in a sorcerers book (The Birthmark 19). The wife returns to her room for a few moments, but goes to find her husband again. Aylmer is very upset Georgiana came into the room and claims she does not trust him. Aylmer tells Georgiana of the danger in performing the experiment, but she does not care and insists on drinking the concoction. She instantly falls asleep. The birthmark is almost gone and Aylmer considers the experiment to be a success.
Success! Success! And now it is like the faintest of rose-color (The Birthmark 22). Georgiana finally awakes, but only to tell her husband she is dying. Comparative Evaluation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's Short and Long Fiction Nathaniel Hawthorne was an author who was greatly admired by his peers for his writing talent, especially in the instant classic The Scarlet Letter.
Figurative language, mood, theme, originality, emotional impact, and literary skill are all aspects of the novel that have made it a classic. A reader will likely find the same aspects that unify The Scarlet Letter in every one of Hawthorne's stories. Dr. Heideggers Experiment, Young Goodman Brown, and The Birthmark are three stories that demonstrate the unifying characteristics that Hawthorne used in all of his long and short literary works.
Originality, setting, and strong symbolism unite these four works and expose the true art form of literature. Originality is a necessity in any work of literature that plans to keep the attention of readers for generations. There is originality in all of the short stories and The Scarlet Letter. The theme of adultery and what sin causes was not common topic during the time The Scarlet Letter was written.
Hawthorne chose the theme to intrigue the readers and the author keeps their attention by twisting the plot to create surprises. The development of the characters and their thoughts was also original to Hawthornian style and is clearly shown in the novel. Hawthorne continues to be original in Dr. Heideggers Experiment, The Birthmark, and Young Goodman Brown. Dr, Heideggers Experiment deals with the Fountain of Youth and the pursuit of everlasting youth. The four characters are greedy for their youth and will pay the ultimate price for the slightest moments of adolescent that they might regain.
Aylmer has discovered an experiment that will remove a crimson birthmark from his wifes face in The Birthmark. Hawthorne lived during the Second Awakening and anything that dealt with modern science was an original idea. Young Goodman Brown deals with witchcraft. Many readers did not expect to discover the minister was the leader of the devilish gatherings in the woods. Hawthorne chose his topics because he wanted to keep the readers interest for years. Setting in a novel can create many aspects that will enhance the story as well as establish a common bond between works.
The confide locale of each story forces the characters to interact with one another and create depth to the story. Each of the literary works of Hawthorne takes place around Boston, particularly Salem. The author used the Puritan life style associated with seventeenth century Salem and the witchcraft that occurred in the town to unite the pieces. The characters in The Scarlet Letter are forced to interact with one another because they live in a small town.
Dr. Heideggers Experiment takes place in the doctors study. The characters do not have the opportunity to leave and associate with others. The woods in Young Goodman Brown set the mood of the story. The one path through the woods forces Goodman Brown to face other townspeople traveling.
The setting enables the author to develop a story line and unify the work by relating back to certain scenes. Symbolism helps to join the different parts of any work into a well-written, unified story that will draw the reader back again and again. There are symbols in each story that strongly connect all four together. The unforgettable scarlet A is the symbol in The Scarlet Letter. Hester Prynne is forced to wear the dishonor of the scarlet letter because she has committed adultery and will not admit who her partner in sin is.
The letter she is forced to wear on her breast causes her great pain. The meaning of the A changes from adultery to able to angel to depict the changing views of the townspeople. The rose in Dr. Heideggers Experiment can be related to the A in The Scarlet Letter. The rose was given to the doctor on the eve of his wedding by his fiance. It was a symbol of their love and happiness, but the couple was never married because the bride died later in the evening.
Both the A and the rose once had great color and were full of life, but with time each will lack its original life: On the threshold she paused but her hesitation was only an instant, though long enough to display a scarlet letter on her breast (The Scarlet Letter 243). The quote suggests the letter has lost its impact on the people, like the rose. The birthmark on Georgiana's face is the symbol that relates The Birthmark and The Scarlet Letter. Hester and Georgiana are two women who must forever wear the embarrassment of a mark of their bodies and live as outsiders in society. Similar to Hester, Georgianas greatest tormentors are the women in her town. Some fastidious persons-but they were exclusively of her own sex- affirmed that the bloody hand quite destroyed the effects of Georgiana's beauty and rendered her countenance even hideous (The Birthmark 11).
The mark on Georgiana's face is also similar to the bloody A on Dimmesdales chest. The attempt to change the symbols causes pain for both women. Georgiana is seen as perfect after the birthmark is removed, but she knows it has reached her heart away and she is to die. The parting breath of the now perfect woman passed into the atmosphere, and her soul, lingering a moment near her husband, took it heavenward flight (The Birthmark 23). When Hester removes the A from her chest, her daughter will not come near her. The pain of this rejection causes Hester to pin the A in place.
The symbolic name given to Goodman Browns wife relates to the name of Hester's daughter Pearl. Hester names her child Pearl because the child represents purity and goodness. Even though Pearl is a constant reminder of Hester's sin, she is the only good thing in Hester's life. Goodman Brown thinks of his wife Faith in his journey through the woods. She is the one think that gives Goodman Brown reason to make haste and return home. Faith, like Pearl, represents the goodness and purity in Goodman Browns life.
Any literary work an author composes is likely to have similar aspects as other works written by him. Nathaniel Hawthorne is not an exception to this statement. The talented novelist who wrote many critically acclaimed pieces has shown in the four works compared in this essays that he writes with the same literary style in all forms of writing. The literary style he uses makes it easy to identify a work as Hawthorian. The characteristics his peers have found noteworthy are found in all of his compositions and create a unity among his stories.
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Research essay sample on Discussing Similarities In Four Works By Hawthorne
