Examples Of Archetypes In The Birthmark

Archetypes 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.” In his decision to leave behind his studies to pursue Georgiana, it is argued that he does this to find a new subject for experimentation (Eckstein). It is shown that after Georgiana had fallen asleep in preparation for the birthmark’s removal, Aylmer impulsively kisses the birthmark for what seems to be a sign of him accepting it, unfortunately, it is too late. His late acceptance of the birthmark shows that his

His obsession over the birthmark became overwhelming for his loving wife, to the point where she feels as if “a red-hot iron had touched her cheek” whenever the birthmark is mentioned. While she once referred to her mark as a “charm” she changes her tone to describe it negatively after she now associates it as the object of Aylmer’s “horror and disgust.” To intensify Aylmer’s obsession leading to Georgiana’s insecurity, it is mentioned that he did not think about the birthmark until after they had married, after Georgiana had grown to love Aylmer and his view of her