The Psychological Dimension of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Birthmark Essa

The Psychological Dimension of â€Å"The Birthmark†Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This essay will analyze Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Birthmark† in order to demonstrate that it is a â€Å"psychological† short story both in its themes and in its emphasis on the moral-psychological aspect of the main characters. There is probably unanimity among literary critics that Hawthorne is a â€Å"psychological† writer. Consider some of their statements chosen at random from various critiques of Hawthorne’s literary works: Stanley T. Williams in â€Å"Hawthorne’s Puritan Mind† says: What he wrote of New England was . . . .the subconscious mind of New England. It was. . . . unforgettable case histories of men and women afflicted by guilt, or, as he called it, by â€Å"a stain upon the soul.†. . . . His were grave and acute reflections upon the way in which the Puritan mind worked. . . .† (43) Edmund Fuller and B. Jo Kinnick in â€Å"Stories Derived from New England Living† state that Hawthorne liked to â€Å"explore uncertainties of belief that trouble a man’s heart and mind† (31). Clarice Swisher in â€Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne: a Biography† states that Hawthorne’s interest tended toward the heart and the psychological effects of these moral and ethical issues† (13). A. N. Kaul considers Hawthorne â€Å"preeminently a ‘psychological’† writer – â€Å"burrowing, to his utmost ability, into the depths of our common nature, for the purposes of psychological romance. . . . He was deeply preoccupied with the modern themes of alienation, isolation, and guilt consciousness – and with modern spiritual problems generally† (2). There appears to be more agreement among literary critics regarding the interpretation of Hawthorne as a â€Å"psychological† writer than upon any other aspect of his writi ng. .. ...athaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Melville, Herman. â€Å"Hawthorne and His Mosses,† The Literary World August 17, 24, 1850. http://eldred.ne.mediaone.net/nh/hahm.html Peckham, Morse. â€Å"The Development of Hawthorne’s Romanticism.† In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Swisher, Clarice. â€Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne: a Biography.† In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Waggoner, Hyatt. â€Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne.† In Six American Novelists of the Nineteenth Century, edited by Richard Foster. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1968. Williams, Stanley T. â€Å"Hawthorne’s Puritan Mind.† In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996.