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4. Desire of Pursuing Perfection 8
4.1 Symbolic Significance Of The Birth Mark 8
4.2 The Difference Understanding Of Perfection Between Male And Female 8
5. Conclusion 9
References 10
1. Introduction
Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) is one of the greatest writers in American literature in the nineteenth Century, who is considered as the pioneer of American psychoanalysis Novels and an important romantic representative. In his life, he has created a large number of famous works: The Scarlet Letter (1850), The Marble Faun (1860), The Blithe dale Romance (1852), Mosses from an Old Manse (1843) and etc. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in a family with a long puritan tradition in Salem, Massachusetts. He had an ambition to be a writer when he was still a child. He enjoyed reading and read a lot when he was young. For instance, he has read The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan when he was only six years old. In 1821, he went to Baldwin College, recognized Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and developed a friendship with Horatio Bridge, Jonathan Ciller, and Franklin Pierce who was to be the 14th U.S. President. He started to pursue his literary career after graduation. Hawthorne is influenced by Puritanism deeply, although he is not a Puritan himself.
Hawthorne was widely accepted by the whole nation. People believed that it was Hawthorne who started the literature of the United Stated. Hawthorne was a master of psychological insight. His novels were perhaps the deepest and the most psychological in the 19th century because he was interested in “the moral and psychological consequences that manifested themselves in human beings as a result of their pride”. Hawthorne was different from other people at that time; he was interested in America’s past, while others paid attention to America’s future. Most of Hawthorne’s works came from historical legends, real life in colonial New England and clouds and obscure things existing in the past. Themes of his works often centered on the New England regional past, the consequences of pride, selfishness, secret guilt, nature and natural impulses, alienation and solitude, inherent evil, sin of humanity, female position in social reality and so on. His fiction works are considered as part of the Romantic Movement and, more specifically, dark romanticism.
Hawthorne’s artistic achievement received extensive affirmation; his work has been translated into many languages and spread throughout the world. He attained permanent honor for his masterpiece The Scarlet Letter, which was well-known all over the world. In 1836, Park Benjamin first published a critical commentary on Hawthorne’s work in New England Magazine. Since 1932, with the publishment of Hawthorne’s American Note, a large number of studies and monographs have emerged. In abroad, the studies about Hawthorne include all kinds of aspects: his family history, his early life, Baldwin’s college life, work experience, marriage and so on. Domestic research about Hawthorne was increasing rapidly in recent years. Except his most famous novel The Scarlet Letter, his other works, such as The Birth-Mark, Rappaccini’s Daughter, Young Goodman Brawn, Twice-Told Tales, and Minister’s Black Veil were no less famous. In terms of this paper, it focuses on The Birth-Mark.
Different scholars study his works from different views, therefore, reach different conclusions. "The Birth-Mark" talked the psychological influence in sexual relations, similar to his other writings in the Old Manse . (Brenda, 2001:26)Shannon Burns and David Van Leer think it mainly tells about the sources of alchemy in The Birth-Mark, and they believe that Aylmer’s scientific opinion is connected with alchemy. We can see the thought from the sentence: “ascend from one step of powerful intelligence to another, until the philosopher should lay his hand on the secret of creative force, and perhaps make a new world for himself”. (Hawthorne the Birth-Mark) In A Study in the Devil Archetype, Stein and William probed the story from its theme “the ruthless courses of the nineteenth century.” Askew and Melvin’s interpretation on The Birth-Mark focused on the relationship between “maturity and immaturity, or that between Platonism and Christian authoritarianism”. On the contrary, there are limited studies on The Birth-Mark in domestic. Chen Rung considered that Hawthorne’s work shows a unique view of feminism, thinking it as a murder story rather than a pursuit for perfection in her thesis Docile Mind and Subversive Body. Li Yankee and Liang Qia made an exploration of Hawthorne’s attitude to science. Wang Jing probed into this story from the view of marriage and explored the tragic reasons of Georgiana. Li Fangfang discussed the conflict between good and evil in human nature from the perspective of inherent sin and scientific rationality.