Sunday, September 23, 2012
The Return of the Repressed: Illiteracy and the Death of the Narrative in Hawthorne's "The Birthmark"
This academic article really looked into a deeper meaning and different themes of "The Birthmark." The author of the article explores the connections between the destruction of the mark and the actual structure of the narrative. Because of the different viewpoints of the birthmark and the multiple symbols it can represent, the story seems to contradict and diminish itself, similar to Aylmer's desire to destroy the birthmark. This article also emphasizes the characters' inability to "read" the mark and find the true meaning. Aylmer and Georgiana see the mark as a flaw instead of seeing the real beauty behind it. Their "illiteracy" results in the death of Georgiana. The article also points out other symbols such as Aylmer's obsession with looking and gazing at the mark and the femaleness of the mark that make the mark such an important figure in the story.
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I thought this academic journal was interesting when it compared the destruction of the mark and the structure of the narrative. It's a very interesting way to look at the story and very creative. The openness of the meaning of the mark is very important in the story.
ReplyDeleteI also thought this was a good academic journal to read about the different viewpoints on the story. It gave us a very interesting and detailed look at the mark and its different meanings. The viewpoints and the article gave it a very interesting way to look at the meaning of the mark and how different it is and how it refers to some everyday things.
ReplyDeleteI thought the article gave a new view point to the birthmark. As the only flaw on Georgiana, it brought out all the flaws in Aylmer. It made them question his love for her. He even killed her in his dreams. How terrible killing your wife in you dreams. It shows the blindness of Aylmer in the story all because of a obsession over a birthmark
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