Similarities Between The Birthmark And The Cask Of Amontillado

During the literary movement known as Romanticism, it was divided into two subgenres, Dark Romanticism and Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism focused on simple living, becoming closer to nature and obtaining spirituality through nature, and the divinity of man. Dark Romanticism does not focus on the optimistic view of man, instead it focuses on the unsuccessful attempts of man to make change. In both “The Birthmark” by and Nathaniel Hawthorne and “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe, Dark Romantic characteristics of obsession and violence are displayed by the antagonists when they start to fix the problems of their lives with their own methods.

In both stories the main characters experience obsession over incidents that they cannot
In Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark,” Aylmer fixates on the mark upon his wife’s face, a small mark that can be covered by the tips of two fingers. To Aylmer, it represents imperfection something he as a scientist, who has the ability to makes things perfect, cannot tolerate. The reader sees him obsess over the mark when he continuously stares at it and repulses. Hawthorne writes “Georgiana soon learned to shudder at his gaze” (292). Because the readers are able to see her reaction to his gaze, we also see her change her opinion regarding the mark. The readers also see “his obsession with the mark comes to dominate their whole relationship” (Lawson, Lynn 30). The Dark Romantic trait of obsession soon leads Aylmer to have full control over his wife. This situation today, is acknowledged as domestic violence. Unlike “The Birthmark,” the antagonist, Montresor, of “The Cask of Amontillado,” obsesses over an insult said by his supposed friend, Fortunato.