The Birthmark – A study on imperfect perfectionists

In Hawthorne’s short story, The Birthmark, Hawthorne uses numerous symbols to address the idea of pursuing perfection. In a world full of mortals and flaws, perfection is seen as an unreachable yet idolized idea. Hawthorne suggests that a fixation on perfection is only a distraction from existing beauty and that perfection is not capable of existing on this world.

To begin, Hawthorne presents a genetic symbol to reveal the so called “flaws” in human nature. The main symbol Hawthorne uses is the birthmark. From Aylmers point of view, symbolizing the perfectionist, the birthmark is “the symbol of his wife’s liability to sin, sorrow, decay, and death…a frightful object, causing him more trouble and horror than ever Georgiana’s beauty, whether of soul or sense, had given him delight.” Aylmer misinterprets this physical mark as a moral flaw in Georgina. To him it is the one thing that is keeping Georgina from perfection and because of that it is “frightful”. In contrast, Hawthorne suggests another point of view and says that “Georgiana’s lovers were wont to say that some fairy at her birth hour had laid her tiny hand upon the infant’s cheek, and left this impress there in token of the magic endowments that were to give her such sway over all hearts.” This point of view challenges the idea that our so called flaws are evil things. This quote suggests that the birthmark was unique for a reason and that uniqueness brought more beauty instead. These two ideas are juxtaposed to show how embracing our mortality and flaws is a lot more beautiful than searching for perfection.

Another symbol presented in the story is Aylmer’s journal. Aylmer’s journal is filled with records of his studies including many failures and imperfect experiments. The journal is a symbol of the beauty in failure and mistakes, yet Aylmer himself could not see this same beauty in Georgina. Georgina describes the journal as a “sad confession and continual exemplification of the shortcomings of the composite man, the spirit burdened with clay and working in matter, and of the despair that assails the higher nature at finding itself so miserably thwarted by the earthly part. Perhaps every man of genius in whatever sphere might recognize the image of his own experience in Aylmer’s journal.” Aylmer himself knew very well of the shortcomings of a mortal man. The story says, “His brightest diamonds were the merest pebbles.” Aylmer was able to use his failures to create a beauty that was unique and magical just like Georgiana’s birthmark. However, Aylmer saw Georgina as just another science project and thought that the birthmark was another mistake that had to be made right. This idea furthers Hawthorne’s idea that the pursuit of perfection only distracts us from the real beauty. In addition, Aylmer holds Georgina to a higher standard than himself which is unjust and selfish.

These two symbols both reveal the beauty in our flaws and the pain in pursuing perfection. Aylmer, a symbol of a perfectionist, was in fact less perfect than anyone else in the story. Hawthorne recognizes the ignorance of humanity and basically says that people wouldn’t know beauty if it hit them in the face, maybe even leaving a bright red hand print on their cheek.

THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF M. VALDEMAR – The Inevitability of Death

The statistics on death may be very overwhelming, being that one out of every one person dies. Death, despite all our efforts to prolong it and escape it, is in fact inevitable. In Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar, Poe addresses death with scientific diction, and offers grotesque imagery that creates an eerie and dark mood. Throughout the story, the attempt to prolong death and play with life only proves the inevitability of life’s end. Through these literary techniques Poe develops an even greater theme that suggests that by trying to escape death and hide from it only makes our lives more empty and actually brings us closer to death.

To begin, Poe uses complex and scientific diction that help increase the credibility of the narrator and make the story seem real. From the title to the opening line, the narrator presents the story as a scientific case that is based on facts. The narrator says, “It is now rendered necessary that I give the facts –as far as I comprehend them myself.” This statement along with using words such as “Ariculo mortis” make this eerie and supernatural event seem factual. In fact, many people during the time of this story’s release actually believed it was a real story and not fiction. This scientific diction also contributes to the theme in that it looks as death as something apart of nature and that can be studied. The narrator’s use of hypnosis and mystical powers may seem to defy the laws of nature but in fact, it does not work and the result is as expected, death.

Throughout the novel Poe also uses grotesque imagery that shows the harsh realities of death and the even harsher realities of trying to fight death. Rather than peacefully embracing death the picture the narrator presents is gruesome and dark. The narrator describes the situation by saying, “The upper lip, at the same time, writhed itself away from the teeth, which it had previously covered completely; while the lower jaw fell with an audible jerk, leaving the mouth widely extended, and disclosing in full view the swollen and blackened tongue.” The scene is everything but peaceful and it appears that death has taken another person. However, moments later the narrator says, “there was an instant return of the hectic circles on the cheeks; the tongue quivered, or rather rolled violently in the mouth and at length the same hideous voice which I have already described, broke forth: “For God’s sake! –quick! –quick! –put me to sleep –or, quick! –waken me! –quick! –I say to you that I am dead!” The scene is a symbol of protest and fight against death. The subject in protest, who previously was open to the idea of prolonging death is now embracing it and in fact longing for it. Poe uses this to show that putting your effort into hiding from death is more painful than embracing it.

At the end of the novel, when the subject finally is released from his hypnosis, it is discovered that he has been dead for the entire 7 months of his hypnosis. This eerie fact drives Poe’s point home that our fight against death is pointless. Poe suggests a very insightful idea that in all the time we spend trying to hide from death or prolong it, we may not realize that we are in fact already not living. From the story one can conclude that living amidst the pain of death, isn’t even living at all. Rather, embracing it and letting go of our fragile lives is a lot less painful and instead peaceful.

Shawshank Redemption – Thme

Life is a mystery for those who allow fate to lead their lives. Rather than living by their own will, these people will compromise and accept the trials that life puts them through. In Stephen KIng’s novel, The Shawshank Redemption, the prisoners of Shawshank allow fate and the prison environment to control how they live. As a result, life on the outside is a fantasy and they are left to accept what comes at them and live in fear of what the next moment might bring. However, the main character Andy Dufresne is the antithesis to this miserable way of life. Through Andy, King suggests that real hope is found through living your own way rather than accepting what fate has chosen for you.

To begin, Andy remained hopeful by not fully conforming to life in prison. This was very apparent based on just his physical appearance. The book says, “He was a short, neat little man with sandy hair and small, clever hands. He wore gold-rimmed spectacles. His fingernails were always clipped, and they were always clean…He always looked as if he should have been wearing a tie.” When told to imagine a prisoner, one would definitely not imagine someone small and clean with clipped fingernails. King uses this imagery to suggest that Andy was not a prisoner at all. Instead, he held on to his identity outside the prison and remained the clean cut banker he always was.

Andy’s optimism and hopefulness however was not just an appearance or a front but rather the author reveals that the real prison to break free from is in the mind. As Red says, “It goes back to what I said about Andy wearing his freedom like an invisible coat, about how he never really developed a prison mentality. His eyes never got that dull look. He never developed the walk that men get when the day is over and they are going back to their cells for another endless night-that flat-footed, hump-shouldered walk.” Although physically in a prison, Andy never let this prison reach his mind. As in the novel he still dreamed of beaches and had a rock collection, and even did the prison guards taxes. There was a line of defense in his mind that kept out any idea that he was stuck forever. The novel says that there was a “cage in the back of his mind, a cage like his own cell. Only instead of holding a man, that cage held a tiger, and that tiger’s name was Hope.” Andy held onto this hope day and night and hope was the only thing that got him through the day.

Throughout the novel King presents the idea of becoming an institutionalized man as Red puts it. This idea does not only apply to prisoners but everyday life. As seen in Red and the other prisoners, it is easy to allow others to determine the way you live. Andy on the other hand, is a true symbol of hope. He proves that real hope is shown in our physical appearance and deeply rooted in our minds. Society as King sees it, is like a cage. However, not everyone is made for this cage and as the final words of the novel write, “Some birds are not meant to be caged, that’s all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly out past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure.” This quote shows how hope is the first step to freedom and it is very contagious. Without hope life is only “drab and empty”.

The Minister’s Black Veil – A Parable

In the parable, “The MInister’s Black Veil”, the people’s harsh reaction to Mr Hooper’s mysterious veil reveal the judgement and pain that comes with acknowledging one’s secrets and standing apart from the masses. From the very beginning of the story Hawthorne makes the atmosphere very mysterious and uncomfortable. Immediately, Mr Hooper’s veil strikes fear in the people and without any further discussion or reasoning their immediate response is something is terribly wrong. As Hooper goes for his usual stroll to the meeting house the people begin to talk; “‘I don’t like it,’ muttered an old woman, as she hobbled into the meeting-house. ‘He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face.’ ‘Our parson has gone mad!’ cried Goodman Gray, following him across the threshold.” Hawthorne reveals how quickly people judge something that they don’t understand and that makes them uncomfortable. Without any explanation Hooper is deemed “mad” and becomes something “awful”. The reason for this reaction becomes clearer in Hooper’s conversation with Elizabeth. While Elizabeth pleads with Hooper to remove the veil she says, “‘But what if the world will not believe that it is the type of an innocent sorrow?’ urged Elizabeth. ‘Beloved and respected as you are, there may be whispers that you hide your face under the consciousness of secret sin. For the sake of your holy office, do away this scandal!’” Indeed the people saw the veil as way of Hooper revealing secret sin and keeping something secret. The arrogance of the people in the town is revealed as they are quick to judge Hooper and suggest he has secret sin only to make themselves feel better and remove any conviction they have. This is indeed Mr Hooper’s purpose in wearing the veil and he says it is a “symbol”. In response to Elizabeth he says, “If I hide my face for sorrow, there is cause enough,” he merely replied; “and if I cover it for secret sin, what mortal might not do the same?” Hooper argues that he has plenty reason to wear such a veil and that every person on earth shares the same reasons and has secret sin and sorrows as well. However, people are just hiding these things behind an invisible veil. Later on Hooper is on his deathbed and even in his last hour people still fear the black veil. Finally, Mr Hooper points out the people’s harsh judgement and suggests they instead tremble and look at each other. He says, “When the friend shows his inmost heart to his friend; the lover to his best beloved; when man does not vainly shrink from the eye of his Creator, loathsomely treasuring up the secret of his sin; then deem me a monster, for the symbol beneath which I have lived, and die! I look around me, and, lo! on every visage a Black Veil!” Hooper makes a insightful observation that everyone has a veil over the things they want to keep to hidden and Hooper has only made his visible to prove this point. Just as Hooper became an outcast and even his fiance refused to marry him, Hawthorne suggests the people in the town experience the same judgment and loneliness in their hearts. Hooper’s lonely life was an outward representation of the internal struggle every mortal goes through. As Mr Hooper suggests, there will come a time when everyone’s veil is removed and their sin will be revealed. The question Hawthorne poses is whether or not one should live with the internal pain of secret sin, or at last remove their “veil” and be free.

Red and Andy – character analysis of Shawshank Redemption

From the opening lines of The Shawshank Redemption, “There’s a guy like me in every state and federal prison in America. I guess, I’m the guy who can get it for you” Stephen King offers a look into the mind of the main character Red. Red is a picture of the typical prison veteran and his connections and knowledge are clear through his ability to get just about anything. However, Red’s popularity and power in prison do not translate into the outside world. He says, “I’m what they call an institutional man now. In here I’m the man who can get it for you, yeah. But out there, anyone can get it for you.” This quote offers the idea that Red understands his situation and is a realist. Life in prison is all Red knows and he has not only come to terms with this, but he embraces it and is satisfied with his life behind bars. King reinforces the idea that Red is a realist when Red says, “As I believe I have said, everyone in prison is an innocent man.” Red goes on to explain how prisoners will make any excuse to say how they are innocent, however, Red is exempt from this category and admits to his crime of murder. This also shows that Red is open minded unlike others and he can actually admit to being wrong and shows that he is open to changing as well. Red’s character so far hints at a major change in Red’s way of thought and I think he may be open to thinking about a life outside the walls of Shawshank Prison.

In the novel, Stephen KIng presents another character very different from Red and anyone else in the story. As Red describes, “Andy Dufresne wasn’t much like me or anyone else I ever knew since I came inside.” He goes onto say that Andy brought in “a sense of his own worth, maybe, or a feeling that he would be the winner in the end…or maybe it was only a sense of freedom, even inside these goddamned gray walls.” Unlike Red, Andy comes into prison and refuses to become an “institutional man” and acts as if his two life sentences can’t keep him in prison. He is not oblivious on how to survive in prison but he also has a sense of freedom as Red describes. When first described, Andy does not sound like a prisoner at all; the book says, “he was a short, neat little man with sandy hair and small, clever hands. He wore gold-rimmed spectacles. His fingernails were always clipped, and they were always clean.” Just from appearance it is clear that Andy is not the stereotypical prisoner. Andy is a symbol of hope whereas Red is a symbol of contentment. Andy slowly has an effect on Red and I think that Andy will be a major part of Red finding hope in prison.

The Death of the Soul: Analysis of The Picture of Dorian Gray

At the end of Oscar Wilde’s novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, the main character, Dorian, dies in a very unique and strange way. By destroying the painting, a symbol of his sinful past and inner soul, Dorian also destroys himself which leaves the painting restored. This very symbolic moment outlines one of the book’s major themes that one cannot undo their sin, the only justice is found through confession. Dorian’s death was the antithesis of this theme and proved that one cannot remove the past, the body and soul cannot be separated, and not sacrificing your pride will result in destruction.

To begin, throughout the novel Dorian had moments of regret and decided that he was not proud of the way he was living. Rather than turning from his ways and confessing his sin, his solution was to try to bury the past and remove anything or anyone that reminded him of this. In the novel Basil Hallward confronts Dorian about the evil he has done and despite being a good friend of Dorian, Dorian feels extreme hatred towards Basil. The narrator says, “He rushed at him and dug the knife into the great vein that is behind the ear, crushing the man’s head down on the table and stabbing again and again.” In this gruesome scene, the author makes a foreshadowing to when Dorian uses the same exact knife to stab the painting and ultimately himself. In both cases the root issue, his sin, was not solved. Dorian thought he could physically remove the problems in his life but the author suggests that the real issues of humanity must be dealt with within.

The picture of Dorian may have been a symbol of his soul, but Dorians fatal mistake was trying to separate this soul from his physical reality. Though Lord Henry had convinced Dorian that the soul was simply an illusion, Dorian has a moment of enlightenment and starts to believe in the soul just before his death. He says, “The soul is a terrible reality. It can be bought, and sold, and bartered away. It can be poisoned, or made perfect. There is a soul in each one of us. I know it.” With this thought, Dorian seems to be on the edge of finding repentance and cleansing his soul. However, his epiphany is too late and at his last moments he still believes he can separate this evil and ugly soul from his perfect young body. After picking up the knife he killed Basil with he says, “As it had killed the painter, so it would kill the painter’s work, and all that that meant. It would kill this monstrous soul-life, and without its hideous warnings, he would be at peace. He seized the thing, and stabbed the picture with it.” The painter, Basil, was a picture of the physical body and the painting was a picture of the inner soul. Dorian believed that killing the soul was the final step to freedom but what he was unaware of was that without the soul he was nothing. The plan backfires and Dorian is the one who is stabbed and the painting, or the soul, is finally made new. The author illustrates that there must be a price paid for sin and simply removing the soul is impossible.

Lastly, the idea of confession, which is the only way to freedom, was unimaginable to Dorian. His pride and reputation meant far greater than his own freedom. Dorian says, “But this murder—was it to dog him all his life? Was he always to be burdened by his past? Was he really to confess? Never. There was only one bit of evidence left against him. The picture itself—that was evidence. He would destroy it.” The burden of people knowing of his sin was too much for Dorian to handle. It wasn’t that Dorian didn’t know he should confess for he said, “it was his duty to confess, to suffer public shame, and to make public atonement. There was a God who called upon men to tell their sins to earth as well as to heaven. Nothing that he could do would cleanse him till he had told his own sin.” The simple fact was, he did not want to go through that public shame even if it meant his own death. Wilde suggests that people will do anything to avoid confession even if that means ending their life. The physical could be scarred, the soul could be destroyed, but the name Dorian Gray and the pride he had was something he was not giving up.

Dorian Gray’s final death scene is the most crucial part of the novel. Although he had almost everything he ever wanted: eternal youth and intellect, his soul was old and ugly. Wilde suggests that people are so blinded by pride and the desire to stay respected that they can’t see the simple solution is confession. No one can pay for their sins by destroying the physical evidence, or by hiding the past. No one can be young and beautiful forever without a paying the price. If Dorian had gone to the court and admitted all crimes that he had committed, he might be alive. If people learn to live with their sin and embrace their past, then and only then will they find true freedom.

The Pedestrian Analysis

In the short story, “The Pedestrian”, Ray Bradbury describes a futuristic society that is run by technology. Even the simple activity of taking a walk is unusual and actually illegal in this society. Although technology seeks to advance society, Bradbury suggests that in the process, it leaves some important parts of humanity behind. In a society overrun by technology people are disconnected from nature, each other, and human pastimes.

To begin, Bradbury uses cold imagery to portray a ghost town suggesting that the outdoors is no place for technology. The narrator describes the town by saying, “it was not unequal to walking through a graveyard where only the faintest glimmers of firefly light appeared in flickers behind the windows. Sudden gray phantoms seemed to manifest upon inner room walls where a curtain was still undrawn against the night, or there were whisperings and murmurs where a window in a tomblike building was still open.” The town is compared to a graveyard to further the idea of the decaying of nature. The buildings are like tombs implying that the people within them mine as well be dead. Everyone remains trapped indoors and is unaware of the world around them. Bradbury juxtaposes this with the main character, who finds time to walk outside every single day. His reasons for doing so may seem quite obvious but to the technology run world it is foreign. The police car questions his unusual activity by repeatedly asking where and why does Mr. Mead walk. Mr. Mead simply says, “I explained; for air, and to see, and just to walk.” Bradbury uses this absurd misunderstanding to show that even the simplest parts of nature are lost in the midst of technology.  

Throughout the story Mr. Meads loneliness plays a major role in the effect of technology on human relationships. The narrator goes onto say that “In ten years of walking by night or day, for thousands of miles, he had never met another person walking, not once in all that time.” While technology is partly used to better connect people, Bradbury is giving a clear warning that personal contact is excluded from these advancements. The most activity that goes on in the city takes place in “the tombs, ill-lit by television light, where the people sat like the dead, the gray or multicolored lights touching their faces, but never really touching them.” The only interaction the people have is with their TVs which distract them from anyone around them. While Mr. Mead is being questioned he is asked if he is married and responds by saying, “Nobody wanted me” with a smile. It is apparent that Mr. Mead smiles not because anyone disliked him but because they were simply not aware of him due to the TV screens taking their attention. Even marriage loses its purpose in the futuristic world because the only focus is the screen rather than a real relationship.

Lastly, human traditions and arts are left behind when technology takes control. Through the dialogue between Mr. Mead and the car several obvious changes have been made in society. In a series of questions the police car asks, “’Business or profession?’” Mr. Mead replies with, “’I guess you’d call me a writer.’ ‘No profession,’ said the police car, as if speaking to himself’”. In this new world writers and the art of writing is simply irrelevant. Even Mr. Mead himself had not written in years mainly because there would be no one to read it or buy it. Another important and obvious thing to notice is who is asking the questions, a car! Apparently policemen have no use in this new city as well. In fact, the narrator says, “Ever since a year ago, 2052, the election year, the force had been cut down from three cars to one.” Only one police car in the entire city and it isn’t even run by humans. Bradbury is making a clear statement that technology will take away the working spirit of humanity if we let it. Not only that but it will remove all use for old arts and pastimes.

While technology may not affect the world this drastically today, these examples are used as warnings by Ray Bradbury. Technology has a very manipulative and controlling aspect that can strip us of our very humanity. The natural world, relationships, and old arts become irrelevant in this attempt to “upgrade” the world. Even Ray Bradbury, a writer, would be nothing in a world of technology, which may be the very reason he gives us these warnings.

Happiness in Omelas

It is often said that nothing in life is free and that everything comes at a cost. In Ursula Le Guin’s short story, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, the author seeks to uncover the true cost of happiness. Through the juxtaposition of the city, the child, and the ones who walk away, Le Guin suggests that the only way to happiness is through the suffering of others or oneself.

To begin, it is important to note how the author defines happiness. While describing the people of Omelas the narrator says, “Happiness is based on a just discrimination of what is necessary, what is neither necessary nor destructive, and what is destructive.” In other words the people of Omelas were able to accept what was necessary, find comfort in unnecessary pleasures, and remove destructive ways of life from the city. The narrator says, “As they did without monarchy and slavery, so they got on without the stock exchange, the advertisement, the secret police, and the bomb.” Here they discerned what was potentially destructive and removed it from their society. In addition, they had access to the comfort and luxury of “central heating, subway trains, washing machines, and all kinds of marvelous devices”. However, the city of Omelas was not perfect and as the narrator says, “they were not naive and happy children.” They had to cope with suffering and evil that existed deep within the city in order to truly be happy.

Secondly, the child underneath the city is not able to experience the same comfort and luxuries as the people of Omelas and is therefore not able to be happy. The child is described as “feebel minded” and “imbecile through fear, malnutrition, and neglect.” This picture is very opposite of the people pictured in the city. However, the child was not always like this and “can remember sunlight and it’s mothers voice.” It is this suffering that the child went through that allows the other people to be happy. After seeing the child the people are very upset and angered but the narrator explains that “their tears at the bitter inustice dry when they begin to perceive the terrible justice of reality, and to accept it.” They understand that the childs suffering is neccesary and by accepting this harsh reality they fulfill the threefold requirement to happiness that the narrator describes.

Lastly, as the people who live with the knowledge of suffering are happy, other people find happiness through their own suffering and guilt. As the title explains, these are the people who walk away from Omelas. The narrator says that “each one goes alone”. “They leave Omelas, they walk ahead into the darkness, and they do not come back.” This is their way of removing the things that are destructive as the narrator mentions earlier. In addition, the narrator says that “they seem to know where they are going.” This is their way of embracing their freedom to leave which is neither necessary nor destructive. Lastly, the ones who walk away also find happiness by coming to terms with suffering. However, it is through their own suffering on the journey that they understand as necessary. Overall, the ones who leave the city are happy as well based on the threefold requirement.

At the center of all the happiness in this story is suffering which is the final step and only cost of happiness. The people of the city find happiness by accepting that the child must suffer in order for them to be happy. In the same way, people today find happiness through other peoples suffering and the fact that people are less fortunate than them. The author suggests that one cannot know true happiness if they don’t have an idea of pain. For the people of the city, this pain comes in the form of another human and most of them don’t have to experience it first hand. However, the ones that leave Omelas experience this pain and suffering first hand and rather than allow their knowledge of suffering to let them live happily, they find the need to suffer themselves. Through this the author shows that instead of ignoring others suffering, society seeks to find happiness by creating it themselves. However, this process of “creating happiness” always involves suffering which is the reasons for war, and violence that the people in Omelas so often avoid. Overall, the author believes that there is no way around suffering if you want to be happy. It is the only price of happiness and it must be paid, either personally or through someone else.

Rural Balm

City Balm, on the lips of a mom

Is a lot different from the lips on a dog.

City Balm, on the lips of her daughter

Is a lot different from the lips of a farmer.

The luxury of balm only found in the city

leave the rural lips a lot less pretty.

Get some city balm to match your skirt

Some rural balm to match the dirt.

The city lips stay pursed and vile

The rural lips still crack a smile.

“A Messy Life”

The lever pulled, the bowl started to rumble

The water swirled, I sank into the tunnel

 

Dark.

Wet.

The smell was the worst.

 

Splish.

Splash.

The tunnels were cursed.

 

I floated along,

The dirty and cloudy soup.

If only people knew,

The terrible life of poop.