The Birthmark and its Relevance Today - Critical Essay

Introduction

The core aim of writing this paper is to discuss the relevance of "The Birthmark" in these recent times. The author has incorporated various literary styles to elaborate more on different themes. Examples of themes that relate to the daily human activities include science, mortality, and marriage among others. First, the author signifies the need for using the birthmark as a symbol. Throughout the book, the author has portrayed birthmark to represent humanity. In this manner, selecting it as the symbol of his wife's liability to sin, sorrow, decay, and death (Hawthorne, p. 8). In describing humanity, one needs to have a deeper understanding of a man's nature. In this context, "The Birthmark" is relevant in these present times as it enables readers to understand that a man's nature exists as imperfect and mortal.

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Marriage is a crucial stage in the life human beings. The author of "The Birthmark" portrays the theme of marriage through a newly married couple. To define the importance of marriage, the newly married couple have been described as persons questioning about the nature of love (Hawthorne, p. 26). Through the newly married couple, various questions emerge from reading "The Birthmark." For instance, what is the essence and consequences of love? Such a question is still relevant even in these modern times. Also, the theme of Nature has been used to illustrate the challenges man undergoes in trying to become a creator of himself. Throughout "The Birthmark" the theme of science relates to the theme of nature.Many times, human beings strive to achieve perfection. However, as described by scholars, perfection is unattainable. "The Birthmark" enables readers to differentiate man's physical and earthly half (Hawthorne, p. 37). Till date, human beings seem to chase for perfection. The theme of science from "The Birthmark" is of relevance to what is happening in the real world. The author set his story in the wake of science. During this time, humans regarded scientific methods as methods that could be used to change the world. However, there still existed limits of science that humans could not figure out. In both recent and past times, some actions are beyond human understanding.

Despite the love issues evident among various characters, blind obsession is evident on the main character Aylmer. The author has described Aylmer as a person suffering from blind obsession. This signifies the flaws of humans and how individuals react to such. This is relevant in these modern times. For example, most youths who are in love seem to be blindfolded on matters regarding love. As a result, much of their thinking is based on happenings that do not add value.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the institution of marriage has been illustrated in "The Birthmark." Through the newly married couple, one can understand better on marriage. Also, the author has emphasized "Nature" as the personified creator (Hawthorne, p. 59). It is therefore correct to state that the entire book is of relevance to what revolves in these modern times. The author has managed to relate the themes to the daily happenings of human beings. Science aims at making life simpler. However, there exist challenges that human beings encounter during the implementation of various scientific methods. This is evident in "The Birthmark" as the author has elaborated on certain issues as beyond human understanding.

Work Cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The birth-mark. Aubier-Flammarion, 1968.