Essay On The Conflict In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birthmark
The Conflict in The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Conflict coincides within everyone in our day to day lives in the real world and even in books; when the protagonist and antagonist’s world views do not concur. A protagonist is the main character who advances the plot by striving towards a goal, and the antagonist is the main character who gets in the way of the protagonist reaching their goal. 'Conflict occurs between the protagonist and the antagonist in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Birthmark" because Aylmer's worldview is different than that of Georgiana’s. In this essay, I will demonstrate the conflict between Aylmer and Georgiana by showing how they answer three questions that reveal their worldview: why are we here? what is wrong with us? how do we fix the problem?
According to Aylmer, we are
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Aylmer explains to Georgiana that she “…came so nearly perfect from the hand of nature, that the slightest possible defect … shocks [him]” (220). Aylmer perceives that the world is full of imperfections in nature; including the birthmark on Georgiana’s face. Later on, in the story Aylmer is bothered by the imperfections of his experiments that he presents to Georgiana as well; showing us his desire of perfection. At the same time, however, Georgiana believes that you have to be physically beautiful to be loved. She tells Aylmer, to “either remove [the] dreadful hand, or take [her] wretched life” (223). Georgiana believes that the only way to be loved and accepted is to have outward beauty, and because Aylmer does not find her beautiful with the birthmark, so she asks him to remove it or to kill her. We can see that she is bothered by the thought of not being beautiful in the eyes of her husband because she begins grows impatient waiting for him to remove
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871 Words | 4 PagesGeorgiana took note of Aylmer’s displeasure of the birthmark from the dream and through his stealthy stare, causing Georgina displeasure (Nathaniel Hawthorne 114). Aylmer’s further loathing of the birthmark, causes Georgiana to give up for the sake of his happiness. She tells, Aylmer after bringing up the conversation of the birthmark, “Either remove this dreadful hand, or take my wretched life!” (Nathaniel Hawthorne 114). Aylmer could have avoided tragedy, however he failed to listen to his assistant Aminadab, who stated he would “never part with that birthmark” (Nathaniel Hawthorne 114).
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549 Words | 3 PagesArchetypes are not intended to be either good or bad as its purpose is to group people by their behaviors. A god complex usually implies that a person is inconsiderate of others feelings, manipulation, and can lead them to the inability to take responsibility for any mistakes. Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts Aylmer, in “The Birthmark,” as an obsessive, egocentric, and power hungry man who commands his wife to adhere to his scientific scrutiny in order for him to achieve his image of perfection. Aylmer’s god complex recognizes Nature’s mistakes and considers them as future projects for him to fix. Although the knowledge of Aylmer’s distaste for the birthmark was known, it is made more obvious as he thinks that Georgiana was made “nearly perfect” by Nature, but could be improved upon by the removal of her “imperfection.”
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573 Words | 3 PagesAylmer’s views on perfection led to the demise of Georgiana. He skewed Georgiana’s views by making it seem that if she wasn’t perfect then he could not love her. Throughout the process Georgiana was scared of her husband’s actions but she was made to believe that what he was doing was normal so she went along with it.
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965 Words | 4 Pages"No, dearest Georgiana, you came so nearly perfectly from the hand of Nature, that this slightest defect, which we hesitate to term a defect or a beauty, shocks me as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection." Alymer sees this mark as something ruining an almost perfect canvas. Knowing her husband views this mark, which she believes is a charm her whole life, as a defect really hurts her self-esteem. Now something she once viewed as a charm she now is almost as disgusted by it as Alymer is. She cannot bear to look at herself in the mirror or to see her real beauty.
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408 Words | 2 PagesThe hand serves as the image of mankind. Aylmer sees his wife’s birthmark as “the symbol of his wife’s liability to sin, sorrow, decay, and death” (2). The way he views the mark on her cheek serves as a reminder that death is inevitable for both him and Georgiana. It contrasts Aylmer’s idea of achieving perfection through science and it disturbs him. When Aylmer dreams of removing Georgiana’s birthmark, he sees that the hand’s “tiny grasp appeared to have caught hold of Georgiana’s heart; whence, however her husband was inexorably resolved to cut or wrench it away,” (3).
Symbolism In The Birthmark By Nathaniel Hawthorne
824 Words | 4 PagesSymbolism in “The Birthmark” In “The Birthmark” Nathaniel Hawthorne gives us a story that is telling us on some level to accept your own, as well as other people's imperfections or it could destroy not only your relationship with them, but also your relationship with yourself. In this story Hawthorne uses symbolism to show us exactly how this kind of behavior can lead to not just ruining relationships, but in this case even death. In “The Birthmark” Hawthorne uses a wide variety of objects and people such as a withering flower, a birthmark, poison, Aylmer's dream and Georgiana's death, and even a character named Aminidab to symbolize that nobody is in fact perfect and we all must accept each others flaws in order to have good and healthy relationships.
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416 Words | 2 PagesAylmer is consumed with a pursuit of perfection in his scientific studies and also in nature. The leads to Aylmer being appalled at the blemish on his wife Georgiana’s cheek. He tells Georgiana “you came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature, that this slightest possible defect..shocks me, as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection” (216). This is the catalyst for Aylmer's seeking for perfection in his wife who is a natural being. Aylmer recognizes that there is a “fatal flaw of humanity, which Nature...stamps ineffaceable on all her productions” (216).
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