Nathaniel Hawthorne was an author during the Romantic Period and also the Industrial Revolution in the 1850s. Love stories were popular in the Romantic Period. Man had begun to explore science, which brought forth the Industrial Revolution. In the Industrial Revolution, technology started to overtake the need for man. Hawthorne firmly believed science corrupted nature and man should not have allowed technology to take over. Hawthorne thought trying to change things in the world would only lead to consequences. He expressed his opinions in novels and short stories. The Scarlet Letter was considered Hawthorne's greatest masterpiece and became the first symbolic novel to be published in the United States. "The Birthmark" and "Rappaccini's Daughter" were well known short stories wrote by Hawthorne. In each of these stories, a distinguished mark caused lovers to be doomed due to an unpardonable sin. .
Hawthorne demonstrated his belief how science would corrupt nature when he gave one character a distinguished mark. Hester Prynne, one of the main characters in The Scarlet Letter, committed the crime of adultery and was cut off from society when she had to wear to letter "A" upon her bosom. Society felt she was different so they did not talk or acknowledge her. In "The Birthmark", Georgiana was given a birthmark. The birthmark looked like a tiny hand and was located on her left cheek. Georgiana was extremely beautiful so this imperfection in nature was very noticeable. Females made fun of Georgiana and called her birthmark a "bloody hand". Beatrice had poison breath and touch in "Rappaccini's Daughter". Beatrice was isolated from the world because she could not touch anyone or breathe too closely to someone. She spent most of her time in a garden built by her father. .
The Romantic Period caused Hawthorne to put a pair of lovers in each other his stories. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester fell in love with Dimmesdale after her husband was assumed dead.
