The Birthmark Essay External and Internal Conflict in...

External and Internal Conflict in â€Å"The Birthmark† This essay will analyze Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Birthmark† to determine the external and internal conflicts in the tale. In the opinion of this reader, the central conflicts in the tale – the relation between the protagonist and antagonist usually (Abrams 225) – are the external one between Aylmer and Georgiana over the birthmark on her cheek, and internal ones within Georgiana between love and self-interest and alienation, and within Aylmer regarding scientific good and evil, success and failure. Hyatt Waggoner in â€Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne† states: Alienation is perhaps the theme he handles with greatest power. â€Å"Insulation,† he sometimes†¦show more content†¦Through the course of the story Aylmer declines spiritually, while Georgiana advances spiritually due to their responses to external and internal conflict. Even after Aylmer has â€Å"persuaded a beautiful woman to become his wife,† he is not capable of loving her properly, unselfishly, because he â€Å"had devoted himself, however, too unreservedly to scientific studies ever to be weaned from them by any second passion.† He exemplifies another favorite theme of Hawthorne’s - â€Å"moral responsibility† (Bradley 47), or rather the lack thereof. The narrator seeks to justify this error or lack in Aylmer by explaining that â€Å"it was not unusual for the love of science to rival the love of woman in its depth and absorbing energy.† Already at the outset of the tale, the reader perceives that Georgiana is going to be shortchanged in this marriage, that an external struggle with her husband will cause an internal struggle within. She is exposed to the problem initially when her husband asks whether â€Å"it never occurred to you that the mark upon your cheek might be removed? Aylmer is in quest of physical perfection in his wife; unfortunately he discounts her inner, spiritual value so clearly manifested in her comment: ``To tell you the truth it has been so often called a charm that I was simple enough to imagine it might be so. In using the word â€Å"simple† she is being honest and not sarcastic; she is being humble and respectful of others’Show MoreRelatedCRM 1301 Midterm uOttawa Carolyn Gordon Essay1 0218 Words   |  41 Pagesguilty would say it backwards or make a mistake Individual testimony: one persons word against another Physical marks of the devil: based on physical appearance and if there’s an abnormality, they’re working with the devil (wart, mole, skin tag, birthmark†¦) Spectral evidence: someone would claim to see a ghost of you and the only way it could be produced was if you made a pack with the devil Confession of guilt: trying to prove either the actus reus or the mens rea. Torture people to get them to