Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birth-Mark seems to be all about the cost of taking things for granted, and not being satisfied with what you have. The only other work of Hawthorne's that I've read is The Scarlet Letter, but I noticed that they both have the theme of acceptance.Interestingly enough, I also noticed that both stories had characters that died because of acceptance, but while Dimmesdale was able to find peace in death after finally accepting his sin, Georgiana was killed because she and her husband could not accept her birthmark.
When the story began with Aylmer mulling over his wife's birthmark, saying that her beauty made the mark that much more hideous, I knew that this story would not end well. When Georgiana said that she would rather die than live with her birthmark, I began to believe that that may very well be the outcome. And when Aminadab muttered "If she were my wife, I'd never part with that birth-mark", I knew for certain that Georgiana was going to die. Perhaps I've just read too many dark and twisted tales, but that line just seemed to scream "foreshadowing!"
Of course, I was right. Aylmer wasn't satisfied with Georgiana's beauty as long as she wasn't perfect. He couldn't accept that one small blemish, and in his efforts toward perfection, he lost her completely. Even Georgiana said something similar just before she died. The part that struck me the most, though, was Aminadab's chuckling. Described as short, bulky, grimy, and covered with shaggy hair, I couldn't help but think of Frankenstein's Igor. This man, seeming almost sub-human compared to Aylmer and Georgiana, had more wisdom than either one of them. He knew they should have left the mark alone, and he was the only one not surprised by the potion's effects.
I was really looking forward to reading Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado for this week
despite the fact that I’ve read it before, because it is an amusing tale.
We learn from the first sentences
that Fortunato has done something to insult the narrator, though we’re never
told what, and he states that he will have
his revenge. This does an excellent job of bringing suspense, because we have
no idea what Montresor is planning until the end. He also states a rather
interesting philosophy, which is that revenge isn’t revenge unless the victim
is caught completely and totally unawares, by some severe act of vengeance. If
Poe’s characters have anything in common, it’s that they never do anything
halfway.
I think the
parts that were most amusing to me were the hints of mockery and foreshadowing
while going through the vaults. Montresor tells Fortunato his family motto, “Nemo me impune lacessit”, No one
provokes me with impunity. He toasts Fortunato “To your long life”, and
repeatedly inquires about his cough. He later pulls out a trowel and tells
Fortunato he is a mason, and Poe points out in his description of the vault the
pile of bones from which Montresor pulls out the building stones and mortar a
few sentences later.
All in all,
The Cask of Amontillado is
delightfully suspenseful and intriguing, laced with Poe’s dark humor.
