Skip to main content

What element of style most important to "The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne?

Hawthorne’s story is a kind of fable, which means that it is short tale that is meant to impart a moral message. Fables in general share many of the formal qualities you mention. I can’t say which one would be the best one to choose for an answer, and to me many of these elements are closely related. “Economy” has to do with the efficiency with which the story is told. I would say that the story is “efficient” in that it does not dwell excessively on the back stories of the characters or needless complications of plot. We know only a little about Aylmer and Georgiana – he is a famous scientist, she a beautiful woman with a disfiguring birthmark – but what we know is enough to move the story on to its conclusion.


The idea of “simplicity” is connected, but not exactly the same. Few modern readers would call Hawthorne’s style “simple,” and it’s easy to see how his language could be simplified (“The Birthmark” is a story that often is “translated” into simpler language for young readers). On the other hand, there is a kind of “simplicity” to the plot that connects to other themes in your question -- the “sequential development of plot” and the “inevitability of climax.” That is, the reader knows, from the beginning, that things will turn out badly for Georgiana. The fable structure implies as much, of course, but then there is also the matter of Aylmer’s foreshadowing dream, in which his irrational desire to remove the birthmark causes him to slice open Georgiana’s heart (“It is in her heart now! We must have it out!”). There is a kind of formula that the story follows (scientist marries wife – becomes obssessed with “imperfection” – performs experiment to “perfect” her – wife dies) that guides us to the conclusion but also guides us to the “moral” of the story, which is that “beauty” and “perfection” are not the same thing.


As for “variety,” I am not sure how this term is being used. One thing that comes to mind is thinking about the ways Hawthorne’s story might deviate from the traditional fable format: to what extent, for example, does the story embrace moral or thematic ambiguity? This approach might also allow for an examination of Hawthorne’s use of symbolism, or permit a more nuanced interpretation of gender roles.


This is a great question. Good luck!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

etymology - Origin of the greeting "Sweet dreams".

Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are the similarities between the relationships of the characters in The Outsiders and Romeo and Juliet?

At first glance, it might appear as if the characters in  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton and  Romeo and Juliet  by William Shakespeare do not have much in common; however, when one isolates the core of the conflicts, it becomes clear that the relationships in both stories are rooted in rivalry and secrecy.  In both  The Outsiders  and  Romeo and Juliet , an overarching theme is rivalry. While   socioeconomic status separates the greasers from the Socs in The Outsiders , last names separates the Montagues from the Capulets, who appear to be relatively equal in terms of socioeconomic status. Due to these rivalries, there are instances of deadly interactions in both stories. In  The Outsiders , Johnny kills Bob (whether his actions were justified or not is debatable). In  Romeo and Juliet , Romeo kills Tybalt and Paris, and Tybalt kills Mercutio. These deaths have profound effects on the main characters. In Ponyboy's case, the Johnny's death and other events in the novel inspire h...
Post a Comment
Read more