Anti-Transcendentalist Elements
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Anti-transcendentalist Elements
Anti-transcendentalist elements are present in the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne. He demonstrates these anti-transcendentalist ideas specifically in “The Birthmark” and “Young Goodman Brown”. The main themes and general ideas of these two stories are the importance of perfection, the spiritual bond between nature and people is inexistent and Georgianas inability to remain an individual. Hawthorne portrays his anti-transcendentalist ideas through his use of destroying a Goodmans religious belief when he connects with the devil, creating a natural birthmark that must be destroyed and when individualism is stripped away from Georgiana by the aggressive thoughts of Aylmer.
Striving for perfection is the main concern of Aylmer in “The Birthmark”. He stresses on how important it is to remove the natural birthmark on his wifes cheek because he believes that it is a horrifying flaw that must be destroyed, “No, dearest Georgiana, you came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature that this slightest possible defect, which we hesitate whether to term the defect or a beauty, shocks me, as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection” (The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction 745). Transcendentalists have the belief that they are part of nature and it is part of them. Removing the natural birthmark on Georgianas cheek was a complete anti-transcendentalist idea, especially since she would be eliminating natures gift through a scientific experiment, “I know not what may be the cost to both of us to rid me of this fatal birthmark. Perhaps its removal may cause cureless deformity; or it may be the stain goes as deep as life itself” (747). Creating the ideal wife takes over the conscious of Aylmer which goes against transcendentalist morals and he has to go through anti-transcendentalist means to erase a part of her natural beauty.
Transcendentalists have a strong belief that there is a spiritual connection between nature and people. Nature is thought to be as close you could get to God and church was not necessary to connect with God. However, in “Young Goodman Brown” Goodman Brown goes into the forest not to connect with God but the Devil, “It was now deep dusk in the forest, and deepest in that part of it where these two were journeying” (736). Through Browns journey with the Devil his faith in his religion is tested and he loses to the devil, “Look up to Heaven, and resist the wicked one” (744). He loses his faith after his adventure in the woods and resents his religion, “On the Sabbath day, when the congregation were singing a holy psalm, he could not listen because an anthem of sin rushed loudly upon his ear and drowned all the blessed strain” (744). Connecting with the Devil in nature and ultimately losing religion are anti-transcendentalist elements in “Young Goodman Brown”.
Georgiana in “The Birthmark” is controlled by the thoughts,