Examples Of Tragic Flaws In The Birthmark
When in the course of events that things go awry, it is human nature to find a person or thing in which to blame for the downfall. The responsibility of the tragedy may be a single person, or a group of people. In the short story “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the responsibility of the resulting tragedy is split equally between Aylmer and Georgiana.
In order to determine why both Georgiana and Aylmer are at fault for the tragedy, there must be an understanding of what a tragic flaw is. A tragic flaw is a characteristic or trait a character possesses which leads to his or her downfall. Tragic flaws were introduced by Aristotle, using the term “harmantia” which roughly translates to “to err.” The term came to be due to a hero in one of Aristotle’s work being brought down by an “error of judgement.” Aristotle introduced the usage of tragic flaws to teach a moral and influence the audience to become better people (“Tragic Flaw”(Literarydevices.com)). Some common tragic flaws from Aristotle’s time period include
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He focuses on how wonderful and triumphant he will be once he has created the first perfect human being that he seemingly forgets that there is a great deal of danger and even the risk of death in removing Georgiana’s birthmark. Aylmer voices this prideful desire in the story, saying “‘I feel myself fully competent to render this dear cheek as faultless as its fellow; and then, most beloved, what will be my triumph when I shall have corrected what Nature left imperfect in her fairest work! Even Pygmalion, when his sculptured woman assumed life, felt not greater ecstasy than mine will be’” (Hawthorne 3). In this quote we see that he has no doubt about performing the surgery, and hints that he even looks forward to performing it so that his wife may become perfect. He is also very prideful that he will become the first person to have defied nature in creating a perfect being- a feat he has not yet
Reader Response: The Birthmark: Reader's Response
947 Words | 4 PagesAt the end of the story Aylmer regretted pressuring his wife to change herself and feels remorseful for what he did. The Birthmark follows the struggles of man versus nature and man versus self. The main character Aylmer suffered no not being about to accept the flaws of his wife but also the fact that he cannot do everything, mostly because it is not his place to do these things. As the story develops the need for Aylmer to reach perfection grows stronger and later kills his wife.
The Birthmark Analysis Essay
717 Words | 3 PagesIn 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.
Obsession In Nathanial Hawthorne's The Birth-Mark
1165 Words | 5 PagesThese scholars’ arguments contribute to the story, “The Birth-Mark”, Nathanial Hawthorne expresses the common personal issue that individuals possess. The Birth-Mark was about a man named Aylmer and his obsession of science and the birth mark on his wife’s face. The birth
Perfection In The Birthmark And Eye Of The Beholder
781 Words | 4 PagesIntro: 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.
Examples Of Archetypes In The Birthmark
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.”
Hawthorne The Birthmark Analysis
1139 Words | 5 PagesThe true essence of “The Birthmark” is infiltrated through the hidden structure of the strength of a woman. As we unpack the passion behind the obsession that Aylmer presents with his genius in science, on the surface, one may recognize his obscenity and categorize it as a reflection of masculine control. Though, this is in fact true, what strikes as an unbeknownst strength is the hidden sacrifice that Georgiana represents as she succumbs to her spouse and his desire to make her “perfect”. As Hawthorne structures this sacrifice as a mere testament of how women of the late 1700’s - 1800’s valued the perspective of their spouse, it is necessary to extract how this act of selflessness attributes to the amount of love and respect Georgiana has for
The Birthmark Character Analysis
573 Words | 3 Pages(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.
Examples Of Figurative Language In The Birthmark
590 Words | 3 PagesThe Birthmark The short story “The Birthmark” was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1834. The story follows a brilliant, yet insane scientist named Aylmer. He creates so many brilliant inventions in hoping to improve his life; his wife is just as perfect, despite a small hand shaped birthmark on her cheek. While Georgiana is considered gorgeous and beautiful by hundreds of men, only Aylmer sees the fault in the birthmark and deems it as a flaw that only he can fix with science. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism and figurative language to help convey the meaning of the short story to readers.
Georgiana's Birthmark Symbolism
408 Words | 2 PagesAylmer believes that he can correct “what Nature left imperfect in her fairest work!” (4). Aylmer, who stands as a symbol for science, obsessively seeks to remove Georgiana’s birthmark and make her ideal. When mankind attempts to change nature in the pursuit of perfection, it never ends well as seen in Aylmer’s attempts at
Symbolism In The Birthmark By Nathaniel Hawthorne
824 Words | 4 PagesThe first and most important use of symbolism we receive is that of the birthmark. We learn that, “in the centre of Georgians's left cheek, there was a singular mark, deeply interwoven, as it were, with the texture and substance of her face” (205). Upon further reading Hawthorne tells us that, “Its shape bore not a little similarity to the human hand” (205). Georgiana had a birthmark right in the middle of her left cheek that resembled a tiny hand in which Aylmer thought was very imperfect. The birthmark symbolizes mortality or an imperfection of
The Birthmark By Nathaniel Hawthorne: Critical Analysis
1491 Words | 6 PagesThe Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne is centered around Aylmer, a mad scientist, and the birthmark on his wife’s, Georgiana, face. His obsession with perfection drives him to create an elixir that ends up serving its purpose and more. However, this story is actually about Aylmers attempt to use science to create the perfect human being, one lacking sin. Hawthorne implies this throughout the story by hinting towards the ideas that the birthmark on Georgiana’s face is really the embodiment of human sin and that Georgiana is, in reality, an angel. “No Georgiana, you came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature, that this slightest possible defect shocks me (Hawthorne, 765).
Frankenstein And The Birthmark Analysis
1325 Words | 6 PagesAs Maya Angelou once said “In diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” Though diversity exists in the world today, that could diminish due to the downfalls caused by human cloning. There may be controversy surrounding human cloning, but the consequences will desolate society if the issues with it are not addressed. In Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, a scientist obsessed with life animates a creature who becomes evil from society treatment. Moreover, in “The Birthmark,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a newly married scientist becomes obsessed with a hand shaped birthmark on his wife’s cheek, which leads him to attempt to remove it but to no avail, as he ends up killing her.
Compare And Contrast Rappaccini's Daughter And The Birthmark
743 Words | 3 PagesEqually Aylmer and Dr. Rappiccini, both characters in Hawthorne’s works causes destruction of human life with selfish aims to perfect the woman of their choice. In the case of Aylmer’s love interest in science, just as with the case of Beatrice’s father, blinds him to the true beauty and humanity of the woman before him. Aylmer views Georgiana’s birthmark as a symbol of imperfection and tries to remove it. At the end of the story, Georgiana say, "My poor Aylmer," she repeated, with a more than human tenderness, "you have aimed loftily; you have done nobly. Do not repent that with so high and pure a feeling, you have rejected the best the earth could offer.
Georgiana's Unhealthy Relationship In The Birthmark By Nathaniel Hawthorne
791 Words | 4 PagesIn the short story “The Birthmark”, Nathaniel Hawthorne writes about a scientist, his wife, and the unhealthy relationship they share. The story follows Aylmer, a scientist, who is determined to remove his wife Georgiana’s birthmark. One aspect of their unhealthy relationship is Georgiana’s sole dependance on Aylmer. Furthermore, Aylmer does not view Georgiana as his equal. Not only this, but Aylmer frequently belittles her, continuously pointing out her flaws, which drives her to do something dangerous.
Theme Of Perfection In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birthmark
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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