The Birthmark (Tale Blazers) [Paperback]

Nathaniel Hawthorne (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tale Blazers | Publication Date: September 1983

The main character is a great scientist and lover of nature with a beautiful wife whom he loves dearly. However, despite the love Aylmer has for his wife, he wonders whether the birthmark she has on her cheek can be removed.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 50 pages
• Publisher: Perfection Learning (September 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089598685X
• ISBN-13: 978-0895986856
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,066,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( H ) > Hawthorne, Nathaniel

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Story=5 Stars, Edition=1, April 14, 2010

By 

Bill R. Moore (New York, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Birthmark (Tale Blazers) (Paperback)

"The Birthmark" is one of Nathaniel Hawthorne's best short stories. Hawthorne is not the easiest writer for current readers to get into; his style is somewhat antiquated, and he has a wealth of historical and literary references. However, the "The Birthmark" is so good that this is soon gotten over, and we are engrossed in the mesmerizing story. Like virtually everything he wrote, it is allegorical, though far less ambiguously than most of his work. Hawthorne's deep pessimism comes to the fore as he vividly reminds us of perfection's impossibility on the one hand and our apparent inability to realize this on the other. Skillfully playing on a myth at least as old as Pygmalion, he shows how we cannot be satisfied with the near-perfect and how we often ruin things by trying to make the final improvement without which we should have been easily satisfied. The story also paints a grim picture of love and human relations generally and chides us for focusing on the superficial and failing to properly prioritize. Hawthorne, along with disciple Melville, was distinctly ahead of his time in using heavy allegories, and this is one of his best. The story is worth buying alone but is widely anthologized, making a standalone hard to justify. However, the important thing is to read it in some form.

4.0 out of 5 stars quick read, great story, September 4, 2010

By 

canmet - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Birthmark - Hawthorne (Kindle Edition)

A tale of a brilliant doctor/scientist who is newly married to a woman who is perfect, almost. His quest to "cure" her of a birthmark leads to a predictable end, and is a forceful commentary on society and the concept of beauty being more than skin deep.

5.0 out of 5 stars The birthmark, January 17, 2007

By 

Wilson (cali) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Birthmark (AMERICAN LITERATURE) (Paperback)

I would highly recommend this book, because I personally analyze it, and I know it has deep meanings that will change your perspective in life. I did it for a project so I had to deeply analyze it. The Birthmark examines the obsession of human perfection. Georgiana, the beautiful woman in the story has a single hand-shaped birthmark on her cheek. Men are invariably attracted to Georgiana, and many find the birthmark attractive. However, her husband Aylmer, a scientist, is revolted at the sight of the birthmark. Eventually Georgiana comes to share his obsession, and the couple decides to try to remove the birthmark. Aylmer takes Georgiana to his laboratory, where he is assisted by his assistant Aminadab.
However, the theme is a bit clichéd, but this story changes it up a bit and makes the theme more meaningful than other books do.