Question

The crimson hand expressed the ineludible gripe in which mortality clutches the highest and purest of earthly mould, degrading them into kindred with the lowest, and even with the very brutes, like whom their visible frames return to dust. In this manner, selecting it as the symbol of his wife's liability to sin, sorrow, decay, and death.

True or False.

Answer 1

The passage reflects themes from Hawthorne's 'The Birthmark,' where the scientist Aylmer views his wife Georgiana's birthmark as a symbol of human mortality and imperfection. His obsession leads to a tragic conclusion, which makes the given statement true.

Step-by-step explanation:

The passage in question is from Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story The Birthmark, which explores themes of human imperfection and the quest for perfection. The main character, Aylmer, becomes obsessed with a small crimson hand-shaped birthmark on his wife Georgiana's cheek, seeing it as a symbol of her mortality and a flaw marring her otherwise perfect beauty. His obsession with her birthmark leads to tragic consequences as he seeks to remove it to achieve his idea of absolute perfection.

In the context of Aylmer's perspective, he sees the birthmark as the representation of sin, sorrow, decay, and death, which ultimately makes the statement given true.