Analyzation of The Birth Mark Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birth Mark” shows readers the foolishness and selfishness of trying to create a perfect being and defying our creator. Nathaniel shows an example of this act by publishing this story of Aylmer and his non-perfect wife, who has a birth mark in the shape of a hand on her cheek. Aylmer is so disgusted with this mark that he soon begins to use science to take care of the problem. Throughout “The Birth Mark” Hawthorne performs different symbols that indicate Aylmer is just a human being and challenging God to make a perfect human will always lead to death. Hawthorne’s use of mirrors reflects on the beauty of Georgiana. While she stares at her reflection in the polished metal plate she is too concerned with how the …show more content…
The hand on Georgiana’s cheek is a symbol for the sins of this world. Even Aylmer states that, “as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection.” I personally think Georgiana knows that she will die in order for Aylmer to remove the Birth Mark. That is why she keeps putting the surgery off. Rosenberg explains, “Aylmer never truly sees his wife; even when she is dying, he misperceives the true import of her symptoms. (147) At the end of the story, Aylmer accomplishes the surgical procedure of removing the birth mark; however, it killed his wife in the process.
Hawthorne uses The Birth Mark as a lesson to be learned that everyone cannot be perfect. Georgiana represents the closest state to perfection that someone can get in this world; although, Aylmer is not satisfied with that. Howard states, “Aylmer feels that the mark may render him unnecessary to Georgiana.(135) He wishes that Georgiana could be absolutely perfect in every way, but little does he know that a perfect person cannot live in an imperfect world. Georgiana’s birth mark is now removed and she will be cleaned of all of her sins because now she can be
In the story “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, he uses several techniques to help build his story. Hawthorne tells a story of a man of science whose name was Aylmer. He married a beautiful women named Georgiana, although she was quite beautiful she had a birthmark on her face which, in Aylmer’s eyes was an imperfection. Aylmer tries to perfect Georgiana, but in the end Aylmer’s attempts to change Georgiana causes him to lose her. Aylmer does not accept the idea of imperfections in people.
Nobody is perfect and no one ever will be. This theme shows up often in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, The Birthmark. In this story, a scientist named Aylmer becomes obsessed with removing a hand-shaped birthmark from his wife’s, Georgiana, visage. After a series of tests, he is successful, but Georgiana becomes perfect and can no longer stay in the mortal world, so she dies. The Birthmark demonstrates how foolish it is to strive for perfection and this is revealed throughout the story using narration.
All individuals are not born perfect. Every individual has their flaws that has a positive or negative impact to those around them and the society. All individuals have flaws that can or cannot hide from the rest of the world. Scholars of psychology argue that obsessions cause individuals to achieve perfection and can have a positive or negative aspect to an individuals’ life. Perfection is the conditions, state, or quality of being free as possible from all flaws or defects.
Intro: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s fictional short story “The Birthmark” and The Twilight Zone’s darkly romantic episode “Eye of the Beholder” both use gothic elements and delve into the realm of science to explore concepts of beauty and perfection. Through their contrasting characterizations of the scientist and employments of irony and allusions, each work comes to its own conclusions about how to define and treat beauty. Body #1: The Birthmark From the very first paragraph, Hawthorne’s story revolves around Aylmer, a scientist who supposedly gives up his career to marry the beautiful woman of his dreams, Georgiana.
In The Birthmark, Hawthorne depicts the obsession for perfection, the tole it takes on one and the consequences it has. The quest for perfection is unrealistic and unobtainable as we are only mere humans incapable of reconstructing our DNA. In The Birthmark, Hawthorne tells the story of a woman named Georgiana and her scientist husband Aylmer, who are both fixated on a birthmark similar to the look of a tiny human hand. Aylmer is disgusted by Georgiana’s birthmark, wanting to please her husband Georgiana is willing to do anything for him to look at her in a normal manner “Danger is nothing to me;for life which this hateful mark
As Georgiana reveals her true sentiments about her stigma, she states with a sense of pride, “To tell you the truth, it has been so often called a charm, that I was simple enough to imagine it might be so” (Hawthorne 378). In expressing this sense of pride, Georgiana exudes her initial happiness with her birthmark, as she rebuttals with Aylmer. Even in this moment, Hawthorne extracts the mission of Aylmer, as he says, “Until now he had not been aware of the tyrannizing influence acquired by one idea over his mind, and the lengths which he might find in his heart to go, for the sake of giving himself peace” (Hawthorne 380). This selfish statement, causes for readers to recognize that Aylmer was aware that it would be no simple task to convince his muse that it is necessary to change her indifference.
In “ The Birthmark” Aylmer wife Georgiana has a Birthmark that is red in the shape of a hand. Georgiana is shown as perfect and having almost any flaws. The only “flaw” she has is her birthmark according to Aylmer. Aylmer says “ if any shifting of motion caused her to turn pale there was the mark again, a crimson stain upon the snow” (“The Birthmark”). He attempts to remove it and succeeds.
(Hawthorne 295) This shows that she could not get out of her head the way Aylmer would looked at her birthmark. It scared her to she would continue to have to deal with the ridicule from him. No Matter how many times Georgiana hints at not wanting the procedure done, Aylmer continues to reassure her that she would not be harmed. Aylmer is so overjoyed about the birthmark being gone that he barely realizes his wife is in distress.
The birthmark itself symbolizes morality. Aylmer, this brilliant scientist and husband to Georgiana, sees it has as fatal flaw. It also represents this imperfection of human nature. Nothing is perfect in nature, but science can help improve to make it seem flawless.
Georgiana’s birthmark represents her grasp on humanity as shown in its shape as a hand. The hand symbolizes humanity’s role in nature and the continuous struggle between nature and science. Georgiana is someone who Aylmer sees as created “nearly perfect from the hand of Nature” (Hawthorne 1). Her birthmark is an imprint left by nature and is representative of humanity’s ties to it. Altering nature isn’t something that humans should be able to do because it is more powerful than any creation made by man.
Natural Beauty is Perfection Itself In the short stories “The Birthmark” and “Rappaccini’s Daughter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the value of science over human life is established. Nathaniel Hawthorne explores the characterization of beauty, emotion over love, versus intellect over science, and an exploration of creator over creation. He presents an idea about scientific research, especially regarding feminine beauty. These tales are told with a motive to give the audience a sympathetic understanding of women’s beauty; which is something precious and already the model of nature’s perfection.
Becoming consumed by his hatred of Georgiana's birthmark, Aylmer attempts to use his science to remove the flaw. Though believing that he is an accomplished scientist, Aylmer’s “most splendid successes were almost invariably failures, if compared with the ideal at which he aimed.” But despite surmounting his capabilities, Aylmer sought to achieve these lofty goals anyway. Aylmer’s ignorance pushes him to experiment on his wife in hopes of changing her, however, it only leads to her somber demise. Had Aylmer learned to accept Georgiana's birthmark, and face that he was too ambitious with his science, than she would have lived a long life.
Mortality is written all over Georgiana’s birthmark, if taken away it would resemble nothing else than death itself. According to Hawthorne, “Aylmer now remembered his dream. He had fancied himself, with his servant Aminidab, attempting an operation for the removal of the birth-mark. But the deeper went the knife, the deeper sand the Hand, until at length its tiny grasp appeared to have caught hold of Georgiana’s heart; whence,
In The Birthmark the wife has a birthmark on her face, and as told by everyone around her that she is unique and quite beautiful. Though her husband seems to disagree, and with that makes it his purpose to degrade that aspect of her, and push for her to want a change. It states "Ah, upon another face, perhaps it might," replied her husband. "But never on yours! No, dearest Georgiana, you came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature, that this slightest possible defect--which we hesitate whether to term a defect or a beauty--shocks me, as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection” (Hawthorne 1).
Georgiana “could not but observe that his most splendid successes were almost invariably failures, if compared with the ideal which he aimed” (222). Even Aylmer’s most successful experiments were considered failures because of his desire for perfection. Aylmer is so consumed by perfection, he does not see the accomplishments he has made. Aylmer posses a potion that he deems “the Elixir of Immortality” (221) which he describes as being able to remove freckles but is not strong enough to remove the mark from Georgiana. Aylmer remarks “this is merely superficial.