(1843) A young woman has always thought that the small birthmark on her cheek was rather a charming feature. Certainly none of her many beaus ever thought it detracted from her beauty. But the man she finally married not only sees it as a flaw, but becomes obsessed with this imperfection, and ins...
Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates a theme of the foolishness in striving for perfection in his short story “The Birthmark.” Hawthorne’s main protagonist, Alymer, is an alchemist completely devoted to his passion for science, but as many men do, finds himself in love with an otherwise beautiful woma...
It's great to finally get back to the classics. It's been far too long since I read a book with careful intensity, noting throwaway lines that are likely to show up on a multiple choice or short answer test that misses the main themes of a book entirely while managing to ask lots of questions li...
… for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation… Exodus 20:5It has always been a wonder for me why punishment should be as such. Why is this idea of making descendants suffer for their forefather’s mistakes so rec...
Everything I know about about literary criticism was learned in an amazing class on American Lit I took at the University of Colorado back in the 80s. The class itself was not so stunning. The teacher - if you can call him that - was an unenthusiastic resident assistant, and most of my classmates...
This is a challenging collection of short stories for me to rate. All of the stories present intriguing ideas and concepts, but some I found significantly more difficult to make my way through than others, primarily due to the writing style. If I had been a contemporary to Hawthorne, I doubt the ...
I loved this book and you will too if you love Greek Mythology. As soon as my grandma told me this book had Greek Mythology I quickly snatched it from her hands. I was able to quickly get into the book after the prologue(which confused me a little). My favorite chapter was "The Pomegranate Seeds"...
Their reputation, as holders of mystic and pernicious principles, having spread before them, the Puritans early endeavored to banish, and to prevent the further intrusion of the rising sect. But the measures by which it was intended to purge the land of heresy, though more than sufficiently vigor...
How strange it seemed to the sad woman, as she watched the growth, and the beauty that became every day more brilliant, and the intelligence that threw its quivering sunshine over the tiny features of this child! Her Pearl!—For so had Hester called her; not as a name expressive of her aspec...
But, just at the time when my story begins, the good lady was very busy, because she had the care of the wheat, and the Indian corn, and the rye and barley and, in short, of the crops of every kind, all over the earth; and as the season had thus far been uncommonly backward, it was necessary to m...
In the year 1690, he went on a military expedition against the French colonies in America, conquered the whole province of Acadie, and returned to Boston with a great deal of plunder." "Why, grandfather, he was the greatest man that ever sat in the chair!" cried Charley. "Ask Laurence what he thi...
Heidegger's Experiment * That very singular man old Dr. Heidegger once invited four venerable friends to meet him in his study. There were three white-bearded gentlemen—Mr. Medbourne, Colonel Killigrew and Mr. Gascoigne—and a withered gentlewoman whose name was the widow Wycherly. They were all m...