Georgiana's Imperfection In 'The Birthmark' By Nathaniel Hawthorne

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In the story "The Birthmark" written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Aylmer the scientist is obsessed with Georgiana's imperfection, a hand-shaped birthmark that spoils her beautiful face. Georgiana's husband became captivated with getting it removed which led to the death of Georgiana. The story's tone is one of romantic controversy, a dilemma at a high level of existence. The scientist's love for his craft competes very intensively with his newfound love for his wife. It is also very psychological, strictly dealing with the raw mind of its subjects as if the ominous narrator told the story from inside their mind, rather than observe it from the outside. The story presents a reflection of Hawthorne's personal life with the marriage of Sophia Peabody and it The story shows a reflection of Hawthorne's personal life with the marriage of Sophia Peabody and it shows the fears and desires of a …show more content…

He tells her "dearest 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." (para. ) Georgiana is incredibly hurt by her husband's choice of words. Aylmer has managed to con Georgiana into believing that she isn't worthy of his affection, the narrator reveals here that Aylmer's insistence on perfection is insane. In fact, this passage makes it clear that even total perfection wouldn't satisfy him. Georgiana realizes that if she managed to satisfy his demands, her triumph would last only "for a single moment." After that, he would want still more from her. The removal of the birthmark is something of an artificial goal, and the narrator suggests that Aylmer wouldn't be happy even if she'd never had the birthmark in the first place. His lust for flawlessness will never be sated-he has become

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