毕业论文（设计）
Title: Twisted Reason and Tender Stupidity---Study on Hawthorne’s Short
Story the Birthmark 题 目: 扭曲的理性和温柔的愚忠-浅谈霍桑的短篇小说《胎记》
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摘要
《胎记》是美国浪漫主义作家纳撒尼尔·霍桑的作品，塑造了一个极端的唯科技主义者的形象，违背客观规律利用所谓的科学知识残害无辜女性的丑恶行为。本文主要从理性和忠诚的角度出发，使读者对作品中的人物形象有一个更深入地了解从而认识到理性不等于盲目的忠诚。同时能够进一步地了解理性与忠诚的区别。本文的研究还为《胎记》的研究开辟了新的视角，为以后的相关研究提供依据和参考。
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关键词：理性；忠诚；《胎记》
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Abstract
Birthmark is the opus from American romantic author Nathaniel Hawthorne,
created an image of an extreme technocrat, which is contrary to the objective rule that using the so-called scientific knowledge to destroy an innocent woman, this behavior is hideous. This passage is mainly from the perspective of the reason and loyalty, made the reader deeply know about the characters of works so that they can realize that reason is not equal to the blind loyalty. In the meanwhile, we can further know about the differences between reason and loyalty. The research of this passage has set a new perspective for the study of the Birthmark, which provided a basis and reference for the related study in the future.
Key words: reason; loyalty; Birthmark iii
黑龙江外国语学院2013届毕业论文
Contents
摘要 ......................................................................................................................................................i Abstract ............................................................................................................................................. iii Chapter 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 A Brief Introduction of the Author ......................................................................................... 1
1.2 A Brief Introduction of the Birthmark .................................................................................... 4 1.3 Research Background............................................................................................................. 6 Chapter 2 The Analysis of the Main Roles’ Personality in the Birthmark .................................... 9 2.1 Paranoid and Selfish Husband................................................................................................ 9
2.2 Tender and Stupid Wife ........................................................................................................ 13 Chapter 3 Enlightenment Given by the Main Roles in the Birthmark ....................................... 16 3.1 Enlightenment from the Husband ........................................................................................ 16
3.2 Enlightenment from the Wife ............................................................................................... 17 Chapter 4 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 18 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................................... 19 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................... 21
黑龙江外国语学院2013届毕业论文
Twisted Reason and Tender Stupidity---Study on Hawthorne's Short Story the Birthmark
Chapter 1 Introduction
Birthmark is a miracle of American literature, behind the simple person and the
plot hold the author’s rich, creative thought and connotative meaning, which has attracted lots of readers.
1.1 A Brief Introduction of the Author
Hawthorne (1804—1864) is an influential great romanticism novelist and psychologist in the 19th century and he is famous for his short stories. Hawthorne was born in New Zealand in 1804, and lived in a decline aristocracy family, his family and generation is a devour puritan. The earlier puritans pay more attention to the reason, reject the emotion, admire for the dream and give up the desire. Later, it has been widely developed in New England: it not only persecutes the people who stand the opposite side of him and even imprison the woman who smile on the street, children who play on the street will be lashed. Because of the earlier New England immigrant adopted political governmental system. The ancestor William and John and his son who served as an important position persecuted the Quakers. Roberto Hanze Salem played an ignominious effect in the case of driving away the witch. The history of this clan has made Hawthorne have a sense of guilt. At his age of 23 years old, in 1827, he added a letter of “W” in his name spelling in order to make the distinction of his ancestor. Later, in 1830, he has made it normal and
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become the typeface that people are familiar with. The family of Hawthorne was in a stage of poverty and took the shipping as the vocation and engaged in trading along the West Indian archipelago region, Up till to the ages of his father, the situation has got worse. When the little Hawthorne was 4 years old, his captain father died of the hot disease, his mother educated him and his sister. After his father died, he moved with his mother to his grandfather Assam’s home, Assam had a very deep religious atmosphere and drastic religious struggle which deeply affected Hawthorne’s thoughts and had a great impact on his future creating. His mother lived lonely and sadly and also had a great impact on his growth, so that it made his character very blue and loved reading and good at thinking.
Judging from his 12 years’ old diary, his observation and his wring is precocious. When he was 14 years old, he lived in his grandpa’s manor in Maine for one year. The nearer lake has become a good place for Hawthorne to hunt, fish, read and walk, which made him know about the natural scenery. However, his dissocial personality and the poet temperament and even his habit of walking alone has cultivated since that time. Hawthorne’s literature career began with the entertainment. When he was 16 years old, he was edited a piece of family paper called----onlooker, from the newspaper, the layout and column had no difference of the formal newspaper called Sarail newspaper, its style is humorous and imitate the earlier Tatler newspaper edited by the England writer Addison and Steele. The first period of newspaper is published between August and September in 1820. And the last period of newspaper was finished at the beginning of 1822. This newspaper was arranged by him. After the publication of each period newspaper, was circulated among the big family. The style is humorous and funny and circulated by this big
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family and added the fun for the family member. This is the great apprentice period for Hawthorne’s further creative writing and editing. His apprentice period also shows his poet creation. In the middle period of 19th century, the tradition of poem plays an important role in the cultural life in New England region and even becomes the fashion in newspaper and led a young hope in literature. In his earlier years, we can know his extraordinary talent in this aspect, and the people who had the same age with him also admired his “American poet made a great contribution to the world and the greatest poet”. The existing poems of Hawthorne---whether published or not, critics thought that this young person has a talented for the writing: Later, Hawthorne engaged in creating novels, otherwise, there will be a talented poet in the world. As a matter of fact, his first published works was poem, which was called ocean and was published in the newspaper called Salem newspaper. The content was related to his father’s shipping career, but finally died in the exotic country. In 1821, Hawthorne studied in Boudouin University. After his graduation, he worked in customs and later was affected by the Utopian socialism of France and resigned, and made a plan to carry on the utopian socialism on Brook farm. Hawthorne was dissatisfied with the current social ethics and the hypocrisy of capitalism in American society, but he does not want to change the unreasonable social system fundamentally. His purpose is to pursue the improvement of social morality, advocated the god and proposed the self-improvement of the morality. In 1842, Hawthorne got married with Sophia, she was a very pious puritan. Although Hawthorne himself was not the puritan, he was deeply affected by his wife with no doubt. In the same year, Hawthorn published his short story Mosses from an Old Manse. After Melville had read it, he admired him very much and also made a
comment about his short story, and later the two people became good friends. In
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1850, the great masterpiece named Red Mark was published and made his name known in the world, and become the acknowledged the most important American writer.
After he became a famous person, Hawthorne continued wring his novel. In his wring, he was good at revealing the internal contradiction of the personage and psychology description, he has abundant imagination and he often used symbolism and did well in unearth the meaning hidden in the thing itself, his work has the religious atmosphere and mysterious color, his characters is very obscure and his works are full of melancholy. Hawthorne stated in his works for many times that his wring is not the novel but the “romance history”. Using the literature terminology to say is that his wring is not the realism novel but the romanticism novel. In Hawthorne’s opinion, when he created the “romance history”, he can exert his imagination freely rather than addicted to the reality, and he can fully express his own subjective intention. He tried his best to create his romance history and become the pioneer of Romanticism novel in American literature.
1.2 A Brief Introduction of the Birthmark
Birthmark is the work from American famous novelist named Hawthorne, is a
widespread influence novel and also the treasure of America short story. The novel contains a wealth of theme, can be interpreted from different perspective. Hawthorne stated in his novel that extreme technocrats use the so-called scientific knowledge to study and reform the nature and deduce to reform the wife and lead to the innocent death of the wife. The hero named Aylmer is a genius learned young
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chemist and he has dedicated in scientific research for several years without reservation and even believed that he can reform the nature by using the scientific power and intend to remove the birthmark of his wife’s by using the scientific ways that he has commanded. Under the day of scientific experiment obsession, the hero goes farther and farther on the way of desires. In the end, the scientist regarded all as his experimental object, and failed. At the same time, the birthmark on his wife’s face was removed, but the flower of the life finally withered. However, the heroine Georgiana is a beautiful, kind, gentle and lovely woman and she was also confident in her husband. Because of the selfless love to her husband’s, the heroine would prefer to take the risk, also want to blind obedience her husband all the requirements. When the husband told her the risk of this experiment, she answered her husband and finally, she assisted her husband to finish herself precious life without hesitation.
According to the differences between these two thoughts, which revealed the contradiction between the scientific thought and the human confinement, Hawthorne distrusted the extreme sense and he objected the radical thought of science. Hawthorne’s positive thought consisted in: science can be developed incessantly, but overflow, radical thought of science is the vicious tool for distorting the human nature. The abuse of scientific technology by human has brought the disaster, rather than the happiness. So we need to do some things comply with the natural rules rational, instead of walk into a wrong path, to the extreme.
Hawthorne is a famous American romantic writer that in the atmosphere of Puritanism for a long time. He lived in an important literature conversion period in
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America. His works nearly originate from the history of north colonization in England, and emphasize that talking about the personality and people’s fate and related problems. His works are clearly embodied that Hawthorne had a complete thought and contradicted character. On the one hand, he was deeply affected by the Calvinism and believes “original sin”. On the other hand, he recognized the Calvinism is very crazy, arbitrary and hypocritical. Also, he accepted Emerson’s philosophy view and believed that there was a mysterious force in the real society. At the same time, he was controlled by the religious thought, and regarded the concept of goodness and evil from Calvinism as a standard to know about the society. Furthermore, he talked about the inherent “evil” and believed that “evil” is the origin of social problems.
1.3 Research Background
When the history accesses to the 19th century, the world capitalism economy is prosperous. America, as a rising capitalism country, is experiencing the huge changes. The ground is expanding fast. The scientific technology is springing. By the end of 19th century, the output value of American has surpassed other capitalism countries, leaps to the head of the world. The development of the science has played an important role, we cannot ignore it. “In the scientific history of 19th century, England, France and Germany, a number of famous scientists of these countries are far more than America, the level of the basic science is higher than America. But because America is good at absorbing the scientific and technological achievements of European countries its timely import and quick development made the potential productivity quickly convert into the real productive force. American
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scientific technology emphasizes on the application, this utilitarianism tendency emerged in the early age of colonization, and has penetrated into the whole 19th century.”(Zhang Fenmei 27)
It’s obvious that American society values the science so much at that time. No matter in the folk or in the government, in the speech or in the action, Americans put the method of promoting the scientific development into effect. Scientific community is set one by one, so that the American addicted to the fact of scientific experiments. At that time, many inventions have been created, at the beginning of the invention of cotton gin from Eli Whitney, an exciting history which made American grow into a modern country has begun. Whitney invented the cotton gin made it possible that the South America grow the cotton in the large areas become possible; the most exciting is that he invented a new brand in a productive way. In 1844, Samuel Morse on the basis of Henry and other people has invented the phone in 1879. These achievements motivated American people to pursue the scientific invention. Schools began to pay more attention to the natural scientific professor, a lot of scholars develop towards the direction of the scientists. The scientific technology of this period absolutely brought a positive effect to the America industry progress, which is indubitable.
However, American scientific technology is a utilitarianism tendency. In other words, American government and enterprises emphasize the profits that scientific technology brought, scientific invention is not so important, this inevitably put the freedom wing to the scientific experiments. Having no scruple, scientists may put all the important points on the test itself. This is definitely led to the negative effect for
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scientific development.
“Smelt technology and equipment developed continuously, but the accident of the producing process occurs incessantly. This is mainly lack of the knowledge of smelt chemistry. In the middle of the 19th century, these subjects were in the preliminary stage, chemistry analysis, heat process, the used catalyst and the related scientific knowledge cannot be grasped by people”(Shen Xu 36) . It’s obvious that driven by the benefits, the enterprise in the process of producing will ignore the worker’s personal safety and as a consequence of that a large number of accidents occur. “Newton becomes a new god, he brings the unified mechanics regulation, the nature will no longer the casual assemble of the mysterious power that people worried about. It will show that it is knowable power system” (Zhao Lin 288). Furthermore, under the instruction of the wrong scientific sense, people begin to dedicate in the scientific experiment. “People begin to apply the Newton’s incorrect approach into the whole natural science, and even apply it into the mythology and ethics.”(J.D. Bernard 63). We can know that under no institutional and restricted law of the current scientific technology development, it surpasses its own scope, breaks through the moral restriction, object to the natural development regulations, we cannot predict the consequence. Under this social background, Hawthorne as a great writer has predicated the maniac scientific experiment that brings a big disaster. As a result, he created a large number of wonderful short stories, which make people reflected.
American Romantic literature has still lasted from the 19th century to the American Civil War, during this period, a large scale of American westward
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movement, slavery problem is austere increasing, the local protectionism of all the states in the south increasingly prevail and intense reform movement in the north. This period is a great creative times in America, the Romanticism seed take root and sprout in the soil in the North America. Although under the influence of Romanticism movement in Europe, American Romanticism literature still has its unique style. First of all, American Romanticism is a “brand-new” expression by nature, because this new continent is full of vitality and dynamism so that it makes American Romanticism implicate the exotic temperament. In the second place, Puritanism has a great effect on the American Romanticism. Furthermore, a lot of prominent literature appears in the literature world and makes the literature prosperous, this is the first upsurge of American literature----this is the so-called “New England renaissance” in the literature. For example, the essayist called Henry David Thoreau, the poet called Henry Edwards Longfellow, the novelist called Nathaniel Hawthorne, and the later novelist called Herman Melville and the poet called Walter Whitman and so on. Their works leave a good impression on the post- generation and leave a great culture heritage.
Chapter 2 The Analysis of the Main Roles’ Personality in the Birthmark
The hero of the novel Aylmer is crazy to scientific research, is selfish and hypocritical to his wife. But the hero of the novel Georgiana is endless pay and infatuated with her husband, they are forming a bright contrast.
2.1 Paranoid and Selfish Husband
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The hero of Birthmark Aylmer is a genius learned young scientists “I wonder whether Aylmer have such confidence in human grasp the nature, however, he has committed himself to scientific research without reservation”. Over the years, Aylmer devoted himself to discovering the new scientific principles, put in a laboratory and racked his brains to persevere with various experiments with the help of various artificial stimulation, the brain is like active peak. Finally, Aylmer has become a vanity, greed metamorphosis paranoia about the science.
In order to eliminate the shadow on his mind, he is attempting to rely on themselves to master scientific means to get rid of his wife's birthmark. Aylmer persuaded Georgiana and he said: “I will not play with these adverse physical things to hurt you and me. I want you to believe, by contrast, it’s very trivial to get rid of the technology that is needed by the small hand,” “do not doubt my power,” “ believe me ”, in these confident words, he has conveyed such a message to Georgiana; getting rid of the birthmark is so easy to him, he can do successfully. But in fact, the technology he thought was insignificant, but killed his wife.
Aylmer loved his wife that has surpassed he loved the science, but it will be more obvious that intertwined the love with the science and combine the scientific power with the power by itself, it is stronger by contrast. We can see from this, Aylmer cannot exist to the woman’s love in heart. Indeed, Aylmer does not care about the small birthmark on her face when married Georgiana, but as the gifted scientist focused on scientific experiments increasingly, the thought to pursue the perfect occupied his whole heart gradually, “dear Georgiana, the nature made you
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almost reach the acme of perfection, so the little flaw - I'm not sure call it pity or beautiful shocked people, because it is a clear sign of the world regret”. From that moment, the birthmark of his wife turned into a terrible thing in his eyes quickly, and it became a symbol of escaping the sins, sorrow, corruption and death. Aylmer’s mood is depressed, even if Georgiana’s charming, gentleness have brought him moments of pleasure, but he can’t resist the feeling of the panic about the birthmark.
Finally, the paranoid and indifferent scientists decided at all costs, using the scientific experimental removal the brand in the face of Georgiana that nature has left, make her become incarnation of perfect. When his wife was due to extreme fear and collapsed in the lab, he not only has no pity, but acquires her “don’t be afraid, don’t shrink back from me”. As scientific knowledge embodiment of Aylmer, but shows ruthless, he regarded science above anything, even higher than love. “He has committed himself to scientific research without reservation”. He has spared no efforts in scientific research, he can’t give up his pursuit with any other passion”. He often stood besides her jadedly……talking about his superb ability. Aylmer wants to master the secret of creating the things on earth and creating a new world for him. To some extent, all his life is about his experiment. He was addicted to the scientific experiment and brought anxiety to his spirits. His face showed that he became greener and exposed a low spirit. He thinks that the birthmark is evil and the symbol of the death. This crazy situation is that Aylmer had the passion to the experiment and he cannot bear any imperfect things in his life. He went for perfect, so anything that was imperfect will influence him, and he will reshape by the means of science, including the inborn birthmark on his wife’s face,
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to satisfy his own desire. In his eyes, this birthmark will certify that he was a great scientist.
Aylmer used the geranium verification effect before the experiment scene description, his wife and a plant without distinction in his eyes. His wife was used as experimental material, the main concern is whether the drug is effective, the experiment is successful, his wife and had not within the scope of his account. In the test of his “scientists engaged in the study of the scientific attitude” “even the most subtle symptoms could escape his eyes. She flushed red tide, breathing a little change, eyelids tremble slightly, systemic imperceptible shiver...... He recorded these details in the book shows that Georgiana was his trial target at most, at the same time, they are not the happy couple, but the test target of his experiment without any emotion. His love for his wife is a scientist of his experiment of love, but not the husband to his wife's love”. From the Birthmark, we can know that Aylmer has given up the human morality because of addicting to the scientific experiment. He became a cold-blooded and relentless scientist. In his experiment, to get rid of the birthmark, “he was so nervous, as if this experiment depends on his values all his long life. But all of them are the moral-philosophical attitudes to the scientist.” The morality and emotion of the human society cannot prevent Aylmer engaging on the scientific experiment. He has lost self-control. In the end, this freedom surpassed the morality and emotion, fly with Georgiana’s spirits to the heaven.
In the novel, Aylmer dreamt that he and his assistant tried to get rid of his wife’s birthmark. In the end, the small hand just like grasp the heart of Georgiana and will not undo. Her husband insisted that he will get rid of that. This symbolize
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that origin of evil was hided in the inner heart. Once it was exposed to the public, it will bring a bad effect. Hawthorne often used the “faith”, “miracle”, “sacred”, “prayer”, “die” and other words in the text, apparently science has become the only faith and the pursuit of his heart. He was always addicted to the scientific experiment, thought that science can create everything, including the “perfect”. Excessive pursuit of scientific civilization and abuse not only let he lose a lot of good nature of human, also let him lose the meaning of life. So, under the instigation of scientism thought, Aylmer - this in the natural sciences are renowned scientists seeking “reach the acme of perfection”, in order to meet its own grim curiosity, to prove that they have infinite wisdom, science is strong, dig hollow thought created a ready-made panacea, the birthmark was removed, wife also aromatic soul out of the shell, but he is insane.
2.2 Tender and Stupid Wife
As the wife of the scientist Aylmer in Birthmark Georgiana is the embodiment of the nature, she is a beautiful, kind, gentle and lovely woman and she is also confident in her husband, and is the “idealization” woman in the author’s world. At the beginning, the author described her beauty, except for her charming appearance, her true and submissive temperament made her and her husband form a clear contrast.
There is a birthmark on Georgiana’s face, at the beginning she does not think this birthmark will influence her born beauty, her husband thinks this birthmark symbolizes “imperfect”, and try to get rid of it, Georgiana is not willing to accept,
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she even answers her husband, “tell you the truth, other people call this a beauty spot, I also think so”. However, for her lovely husband, Georgiana compromised, “she followed her husband hastily, and it is the first time for her to walk into the laboratory. The first thing into her eyes was a furnace; it burned steaming hot, high temperature surrounds with our face and body. There were the flames in the furnace, reeks of a red light. From looking at the accumulation of smoke-grimed on the furnace, furnace kept burning for a long time. There are some liquid outflows the distillation apparatus. There are all kinds of the chemical experimental instruments around the room. For example, retort, test tube, cylinder. There is a motor nearby prepared to be used all the time. The room was so hot and difficult to support, the acrid gas which caused by chemical chemistry experiment, make the air badly. Georgiana used to live in the tasteful surprisingly bedroom. The bare walls, brick floor, simple furnishings, look strange in her eyes. The only but one attracted her attention is the look that Aylmer expressed.” His face turned as pale as death, concentrate his attention on the expression, stooped in front of furnace, the distill liquid become the perpetual happiness medicine or bring the disaster all depend on his closely observed. How different the expression he encouraged Georgiana’s happy and confidence!
When Aylmer told her the dangers of experiments, she speaks to him unexpectedly without any hesitation: “as long as you give me the medicine, even if it is a poison I would swallowed it down”. Obviously, Georgiana obedient to her husband out of love, she prefers to take a risk, also wants to satisfy her husband's wishes. From the passage we can see that Georgiana is obedient in any aspect and actually has evolved into stupid loyalty to Aylmer. She said: “it is for you, dear
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Aylmer, otherwise I would sacrifice my life rather than get rid of the birthmark”. At this time, Georgiana has always believed her husband, which had evolved to worship and superstition. When Aylmer succeeds in the experiment to make the medical liquid, she even said: “there is no need to do any test and give the potion to me, I am willing to give you anything”. Georgiana still defended for her husband Aylmer before he died: “You have the sublime goals and noble behavior. Don't feel regret to refuse the earth that give you the best thing because you own this noble and pure feeling. “Drink it, the noble person!” “Your heart is flawless, the body will reach the acme of perfect”. The noble, selfless, kind-heart and stupid loyalty of Georgiana emphasized that Aylmer is selfish and hypocrisy.
When Georgiana discovered her husband’s eyes fell on his face, thought that her husband's words: “now it is in her heart, we must get rid of it”, she will thrill, rosy cheeks will become deadly pale. Although she tells Aylmer to have an operation fearless, do not begrudge her, she is reluctant to smile every time. She felt chills when she was taken into the laboratory, her pale face made the birthmark more striking, when she saw Aylmer also “can’t help shuddering a strong shivering like cramps, fell to the ground immediately”. “Georgiana appreciated her birthmark, she also felt proud of it, but she also felt fear and disgust. There existed a huge difference from the attitude of surprised, angry to accept and ingratiate about this experiment. This is the consequence of Aylmer’s behavior” (Fu Yushan 2012). In the novel, in addition to Georgiana’s beauty, goodness and infatuation that we have known, we didn’t see that she has more abundant self-consciousness. She has not to pursue and establish the existence of her own from the women’s value, just listen to Aylmer Finally, with the “perfect” realized,
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Georgiana’s life has ceased to exist.
Chapter 3 Enlightenment Given by the Main Roles in the Birthmark
Aylmer and Georgiana are the embodiment of science and nature, whether the nature adapts to the advanced science or the advanced science follows to the nature’s rule; it made reader have a deep thought between the right and wrong.
3.1 Enlightenment from the Husband
In the Birthmark, the chief offender of Georgiana’s death was her husband Elmer. He explored the natural science that caused his eyes blinded, bereft of reason, and lost himself. When he thought he will create a perfect woman through the scientific means, his heart was overjoyed. He told his wife to trust him and “even felt happy for the unique regret, because it will bring me great pleasure for getting rid of it.” His happiness comes from the removing of his wife’s birthmark and also from the transformation of the original creation. In front of nature, he thinks the science can do anything. This kind of fanaticism and bigotry can be regarded as arrogant reaction of his character. It is his pride that makes Aylmer ignores the natural power; he never thought the human would give birth to be flawed. It is his arrogance that makes his peerless wife turn to be a victim in the fight between the material and spirit, heaven and earth.
Advanced science satisfies our material and cultural needs greatly, but we cannot be excessive to pursue, even perverted, or it will give us only the evil
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consequence, not the welfare. Aylmer's extreme ideas in the novel have brought the tragic outcome and it shows that no matter how developed the human society is, the human can’t become the master of nature, science and technology can’t replace everything, the human has to submit to the great nature rule.
3.2 Enlightenment from the Wife
Georgiana stands for a person who is fragile in human society under the control of the patriarchal domination, she was dominated in a silent zone for a long period. Facing the husband's savage changes, though she felt frightened and dissatisfied with him, she submitted to him blindly. She was a silent person that was deprived of the right to speak, and she was the second citizen in patriarchal society. In the novel, she submitted to her husband’s irrational demands, her husband is not a partner, but God, he can dominate everything upon her, this means that she is a female extremely lack of female consciousness, she hasn’t pursue and establish the existence of her own from the women’s value, just listen to Aylmer. Love is a kind of stimulating force; as to Georgiana, it is more sacrifice oneself than affirm oneself. She was not only concealing her eyes by the love, but go to her head by the love. Aylmer has never to make Georgiana accept his test by compulsion, her husband’s purpose transformed into the own value of her life by herself consciously, even endowed with exalted motive for her husband’s behavior, this led to her tragedy life eventually. Georgiana was dead, her death reflects the author's critical and negative attitude towards scientific knowledge, her death left us sympathy with her sufferings and infuriated at her indifference.
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In the patriarchal society, the tragedy of Georgiana is continuing to play; they are suppressed by all kinds of unreasonable mechanism, the spirit and the flesh have been destroyed. Facing such a tragedy, women should take their weapon---independence. Independence is not to say to become feminist, hostile to the female. In the age that is equality between the sex, women should keep the spirit independent, have their own opinions, learn to affirm self value, see things as they really are, and should be brave to contend with all irrational things. We cannot be equal to the male, but also cannot at the mercy of the male, and do not always advocating the men and listen to his disposal. In continuing carrying “understanding wife and loving mother” virtue at the same time, it is more important to insist on “independence” and “subjectivity” of the personality, so that Georgiana’s tragedy would not repeat.
Chapter 4 Conclusion
After the publication of the Birthmark, it has attracted many readers and scholars, produced far-reaching effect. Hawthorne succeeded in interpretation of the underlying meaning conveyed by the Birthmark. From the deep understand of inner mind, defects or perfect is comparative. Hawthorne told us such a truth: People’s desire is endless, our resorting the modern civilization methods blindly to pursue “perfect” realm are hardly necessary. If the human’s desire to continue to develop it will get the opposite of what one wants, the more loss than gains. Hawthorne knows the development of science doesn’t mean that he denies all the technical progress, ignores the capability of human conquest of nature. On the contrary, through the scientific experimental works, the readers feel deeply that the
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science and technology has brought the progress of human society. Birthmark proved such a view: the flowed science, the experiment to challenge the nature, the craziness to pursue perfect must be lead to unimaginable consequences. In addition, this story exploring the profound enlightenment that the underlying moral to the high speed development of modernized society: Educated humans recognize any scientific research must be conducted in compliance with the rule of nature, any attempt blind use the scientific means to pursue “perfect” will ultimately end in tragedy. Therefore we should not think that Hawthorne opposed to use the modern science to meet selfish desires and kill creatures, but understood his progress of science hold negative attitude. The purpose of his creation is to criticize human master modern science and technology, the desire to pursuit of material increasing, think scorn about the objective nature laws. Hawthorne thinks, human is against nature, because human ignore the rule to conquer the nature, not only to flog a dead horse, but also may have dire consequences. The story written by Hawthorne has profound enlightenment to the modernized and civilized society, it is mainly made the human in the progress of human development to realize that science is one of the means to know the world, the unique goal is to seek the truth, but it is unable to solve this kind of problem of value for the good and the beautiful. The truth, the good and the beautiful is the most valuable; anything will get worse through other means to get the satisfaction.
Bibliography
[1] Cixous.Helene. An Anthology of Literary Theory and Criticism. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1991.
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[2] Elliott Emory. Columbia Literary History of the United States. New York: Columbia University Press, 1988.
[3] Hawthorne Nathaniel. The Birthmark Selected Tales and Sketches. N. Y.: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1970.
[4] John Ruskin. Modern Painters. London: Smith Elder, and Co. Cornhill, 1843.
[5] R. B Hellmann. Science as a Region. In: Fogle University of Oklahoma Press, 1964.
[6] Terrence Martin. Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1965.
[7] Van Leer, David M. Aylmer’s Library: Transcendental Alchemy in Hawthorne’s the Birthmark .1976.
[8] Williams, Oscar. The Pocket Book of Modern Verse. New York: Washington Square Press, 1958.
[9] 陈冠商. 《美国浪漫主义作家霍桑. 霍桑短篇小说集》. 济南: 山东人民出版社, 1980.
[10] 陈榕. 《驯顺的灵魂和叛逆的身体》. 解放军外国语学院学报, (2004): 75－79.
[11] 陈玉娟. 《试析霍桑非理性的科学观》. 四川外语学院学报, (2000): 33-35.
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[12] 李安斌. 《清教主义对美国文学的影响》. 求索, 2006.
[13] 张芬梅. 《十九世纪美国的科学技术与经济发展》. 徐州师范学院, 1982.
[14] 张勤. 《纳撒尼尔·霍桑作品导读》. 武汉:武汉大学出版社,2003.
[15]马兰海. 宗教意识下孤独心灵的抗争—评霍桑的短篇小说《胎记》. 文山师 范高等专科学校学报, 2002.
Acknowledgements
First and foremost I express my thanks to my lecturer Yonghui Qi for her guidance and instructive suggestion, which have been incorporated in the present version. Without her consistent and illuminating instruction, this thesis could not have reached its present form. And the most essential help she gave me was support and patient suggestion so that I can finish the thesis without too much worry and any other burden.
Secondly, I want to show my gratitude to the teacher who has taught me during the four years’ English learning and time of this thesis writing, they gave me so much help and suggestion. Without their help, I am not the student I am. I feel equally grateful to all the teachers who have helped me during my four－year undergraduate study.
Last but not least, I would like to take this opportunity to say thanks to the dean
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黑龙江外国语学院2013届毕业论文
of the foreign language department in my college and all my friends for their assistance
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