According to Mary Rucker, literary critic and author of Boys Don't Cry, Nathaniel Hawthorne believed that "humanity must shape its aspirations in terms of the decreed conditions of existence, which is unalterably imperfect" (446). Hawthorne's embracement of man's flawed humanity developed through the influence of Puritan philosophies on Hawthorne, igniting his Romantic soul with criticism for the Puritan's belief in total depravity and the corruption of humans' wicked nature. In "The Birthmark" and "Young Goodman Brown," Hawthorne criticizes the Puritans' belief in the depravity of man to convey his notion that people are inherently flawed, so people must accept their own nature and others' flaws.
Hawthorne embraces man's imperfect nature by criticizing the Puritan philosophy of total depravity through the characterization of Aylmer and Georgiana in "The Birthmark." Aylmer is significant in "The Birthmark" for symbolizing the Puritans' obsession with the depravity and wickedness in nature, not the beauty in nature. Critic Aurélie Guillain, Professor of American Literature at University of Toulouse, refers to Aylmer as "becom[ing] gradually convinced that the red mark on his wife's skin is the symbol of the innate depravity of human flesh" (49). Aylmer cannot bear to view Georgiana as flawed and corrupted due to depravity; therefore, he insists on removing Georgiana's blemish and connection to humanity to fulfill his conditional love, which is seeing Georgiana as perfect. However, Aylmer's attempt to destroy the birthmark and Georgiana's human nature fails. Katherine Snipes, literary critic and author of Robert Graves, believes the following: "Hawthorne casts all blame for the tragic outcome on the misguided husband [Aylmer], who is not satisfied with the blessings of nature" (Snipes). This "tragic outcome" reflects Hawthorne's objection to Aylmer's notion of ridding the birthmark as well as Hawthorne's criticism for the Puritan belief in the depravity of man.
Nathaniel Hawthorne One of the most significant writers of the romantic period in American literature was Nathaniel Hawthorne. ... It was Puritan belief that man must be instructed to realize his own depravity, and therefore at childhood the education began for Hawthorne (Hull). ... "Themes of Nathaniel Hawthorne." ... "Nathaniel Hawthorne." ... "Nathaniel Hawthorne." ...
Nathaniel Hawthorne and His Works One of the most significant writers of the romantic period in American literature was Nathaniel Hawthorne. ... Nathaniel Hawthorne explored the themes of pride, sin, and the Puritan cycle in American writing in many of his works. ... The influence of Puritan religion is a common topic in Nathaniel Hawthorne's works. ... It was Puritan belief that man must be instructed to realize his own depravity, and therefore at childhood the education began for Hawthorne (Hull). ... Nathaniel Hawthorne was a great author of his time....
The Puritans inquisitorially quested personal godliness and doctrinal correctness in addition to believing in absolute sovereignty of God, the total depravity of man, and the complete dependence of human beings on depravity of man, and the complete dependence of human beings on divine grace for salvation. ... First, they explain the history of Nathaniel Hawthorne. ... Nathaniel Hawthorne, born in Salem, Massachusetts, July 4, 1804 and died May 11, 1864, was the first American writer to apply artistic judgment to Puritan society. ... (Baym 98) "Nathaniel Hawthorne was a mystery, even to ...
CRITICAL ESSAY ON NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE"S "YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN" I have chosen Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne, because firstly I had already read The Scarlet Letter, and I liked it very much; and secondly, because it maintains the same underlying moral conflict of the novel. The main difference is that the moral conflict is now much more personal for the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, than the one of The Scarlet Letter. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1804. ... His father was a sea captain that died when the young Nathaniel was four years old. ... ...
An Analysis of Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a novel of conflict between a woman in love and the stern Puritan community in which she resides. Hawthorne illustrates that a woman who follows her heartbreaks the laws of the community. ... Now, she chooses it to symbolize the man she loved and lost, Arthur Dimmesdale. ... While light is equal to piety, its absence represents depravity. ... It is the home of the "Black Man," the Devil, and where Hester is to live Gomez 6 once she is cast from the settlement. ...
