We are all flawed, perfection is an impossible standard for any human to achieve. Some of us are closer than others and this couldn't be more true for Aylmer's wife Georgiana. Her only flaw is a single birthmark upon her cheek, shaped to look like a tiny hand. As a scientist, Aylmer believes he can remove her birthmark, thus making her perfect. He sees the birthmark as simply a symbol for human imperfection, and wishes to make his wife perfect. Foremost, is the belief that the birthmark is a symbol of human imperfection. On the surface level Aylmer wishes to remove the birthmark because it is unsightly and ugly to him. Symbolically it represents the flaws of humans. Aylmer first recognizes this flaw after he dreams of removing it. “With the
One of the major themes in "The Birthmark" is man’s obsession with perfection. Through the birthmark on Georgiana, Hawthorne is able to portray that nature didn’t intend for things to be perfect. People are not perfect because the human condition is imperfect. Aylmer’s desire to make his wife perfect is doomed to failure because perfection, Hawthorne suggests, is the exclusive province of heaven that cannot be found on earth. Because she becomes an ideal being, completely unmarred, Georgiana is no longer able to exist in this
In Nathanial Hawthorne’s “The Birth-Mark,” Aylmer, a crazed, “mad-scientist,” seeks to remove the scarlet handprint birthmark from his wife, Georgiana’s cheek. From the opening of the work, the third person narrator describes Aylmer’s obsession with science and the adverse effects it has had on his social life. Aylmer is tied up in this battle within himself and with his assigned association between the natural and the spiritual world. He wishes to have as much control over these colliding worlds as possible, granting himself god-like power and control in the process. In the art of manipulating nature through science, Aylmer believes he is able to alter the spiritual aspects of the natural as well. Aylmer’s focus on spirituality is Hawthorne’s way of commenting on mankind’s fixation on sin and redemption.
################################# Part 3 ######################################## Nature doesn’t intend for things to be perfect, if it was the contrary we wouldn’t be considered humans. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Birth-Mark portrays the story of a scientist, Aylmer, so self-absorbed, and supercilious in his own power of science that he would go so far as to remove the intentional “imperfect” birthmark that Nature has bestowed upon his wife’s face. “Cannot you remove this little, little mark… Is this beyond your power… Noblest, dearest, tenderest wife… doubt not my power” (216). Hawthorne uses the birthmark as a symbol to represent the imperfection that is within the human species, the mark also draws out the imperfection of those who have encountered it by displaying their tendencies to overlook the flawless beauty of Georgiana and focus solely on her birthmark, “Some fastidious persons… affirmed that the bloody hand… quite destroyed Georgiana’s beauty… Aylmer discovered that this was the case with himself” (214). Nature’s symbol is a paradigm of omnipotence. To simply put, Nature created the grand design of human life, and governs over our society but allows us as people to do as we please with our lives, so long as we do not alter with Nature’s creation, “…Our great creative Mother… She permits us, indeed to mar, but seldom to mend, and like a jealous patentee, on no account to make” (217). Despite Nature’s intention, being the pompous scientist that he is, Aylmer believes himself to be something more than a microcosm of Nature’s creation. In other words, because of his unparalleled ability in the subject science, like other...
that leaves the successes of his laboratory to find the perfect wife. His pursuit finds her and blindly he does not take notice any of nature?s flaws that Georgiana has. However, Aylmer ideology of perfection consumes him once he discovers the birthmark. All of his attention is on this small mark that is unchanged when there is a shift in her emotions. His next question gives foresight into the depths of Aylmer?s pursuit to rid this small imperfection. Aylmer asks Georgian, his wife, "has it never occurred to you that the mark upon your cheek might be removed?" He continues to say the mark makes her imperfect: ?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
The BirthMark was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne it is short dark romantic story that is closely looked at the obsession with human perfection. He had two main characters named Aylmer and Georgiana. Aylmer was not happy with Georgiana because of her birthmark. Aylmer insist Georgiana to get plastic surgery then realizes that the procedure is dangerous and agrees with it anyway. However, Georgiana dies and Aylmer then realizes that her life has been killed just for Aylmer happiness to make his wife perfect. This text is an issue that might be a broad to love in everyday life such as in selfishness, obsession, death.
Aylmer is trying to get rid of Georgiana’s birthmark to boost his scientific ego and human arrogance. If he accomplishes the removal, not only will his wife be perfect in his eyes, but he thinks he will gain the respect of many. “ ‘Ah, wait for this one success,” rejoined he, ‘then worship me if you will. I shall deem myself hardly unworthy of it. But come, I have sought you for the luxury of your voice. Sing to me, dearest.’ “ (page 15) This excerpt connects with the idea of Aylmer being self centered. He believes his wife and other people will worship the grass he stands on if he succeeds with the removal. In this quote, he tells Georgiana to worship him if she would like, but in his head, he knows she will do more than just that. He expects
Georgiana is a fine wife, and a seemingly beautiful one, too. Aylmer expresses deep affection towards his wife, but it is hinted from the beginning that his two passions in life will eventually have to come in conflict. The meaning of the birthmark shifts suddenly in the end, but in the beginning, it is viewed as Georgiana’s ability to be imperfect and to sin. It is in the shape of a human hand because an angel supposedly has a grip on her, linking her to the other world. That is most men’s reactions, but some women viewed it as disastrous to her beauty. Although Aylmer is not initially concerned with it, it eventually gets to him, obsessively occupying himself with it. He would stare at it whenever he had a chance, and tried to be candid about it. When it became apparent that Aylmer was quite concerned with this, Georgiana asked him to elaborate. He was more disgusted by the mark than Georgiana assessed. Her most significant reply to him was “You cannot love what shocks you!”
Aylmer and Guy wishes to achieve their goals, yet their desires come with unexpected consequences. Aylmer urges his wife Georgiana to remove the hand-shaped birthmark on her
In the short story “The Birthmark” we see Aylmer, who has a solid passion for science, such a passion it is strange that he takes a day off his work for his marriage. Aylmer’s wife has a mark on her cheek she believes is a charm, the mark begins to bother Aylmer more and more until
1. Our society tends to be obsessed with the idea of physical perfection. How does our society manifest that obsession? How is the 'Birthmark'; an early version of our modern obsession with physical perfection?
The more I got to read “The Story of an Hour”, “Desiree’s baby”, “The Birthmark”, and “The Cask of Amontillado” , the more I start having a sickness in my heart, but thanks God these stories are not real. In fact, the cruel events might not happened to Mrs. Mallard, Desiree, Georgiana, or Fortunato. However, it was a reality for some people at that time, both history and author’s style of thinking prove it. Historically speaking, we know for a fact that struggle, racism, women abuse, and crimes were very common back in the 19th Century. Moreover, by reading those stories we can react and feel differently, we tend to be more sensitive and emotional about the hardships and oppression faced by characters especially women and non-white people. By analyzing “The Birthmark” written by Nathaniel Hawthorne we can feel what Georgiana had to go through. It is very important to analyze Aylmer’s relationship with his wife
Though she consents to having her birthmark removed, Georgiana’s initial reaction to Aylmer’s shock at her facial defect is to redden “with momentary anger” before dissolving into tears (645); though her secondary reaction fits into the stereotypical female response to a physical critique, the fact that her initial reaction is anger implies that she is more than merely a docile housewife. However, her actions still reflect those of a docile housewife; when he confines her to a dimly lit apartment, she acquiesces solemnly and quietly spends her days doing as Aylmer
Even though it is ethical to remove the birthmark for the couple’s culture since it will resolve their looming problem, is it moral in their perspective? Initially, it was implied that Georgina found it wrong to remove it since she first believed the mark as a “charm” (419) but the soon changed when Aylmer believed the opposite of it. Aylmer has always found it morally correct in his eyes that the removal of the birthmark is a need since he only ever saw it as a scorching stigma that derails him from reaching total happiness and bliss. The wrong becomes right and the right becomes wrong, and together, these events led to the ethical extermination of the birthmark.
Aylmer is obsessed with Georgiana's birthmark and he is unable to view the "crimson hand" as something divine as Georgiana does, but instead it is a flaw that mocks his limits as a scientist, if he were truly a great scientist he would be able to make her flawless. And if she were flawless, if he could fix her birthmark today, her wrinkles that would appear tomorrow, the effects of gravity she will develop twenty years from now, in fact she technically need never die. However, after several attempts to "cure" Georgiana of her unsightly disfigurement all becomes clear for Aylmer when he sees in her death that it is Georgiana herself that is the imperfection.
Every man before has always complimented Georgiana on her sweet imperfection. People would tell her all the time that true beauty was in that little blemish. Aylmer, being the man of Science wanted to change what nature had created. Typically, we all know better than to go against Nature, but not Aylmer. Georgiana finally agreed to let her husband remove the birthmark due to a frightening dream Aylmer had encountered. Aylmer started working on a potion to remove Georgiana 's birthmark. As soon as Georgiana sipped the potion, she suddenly falls into a deep coma-like state. The birthmark magically disappears from Georgina 's face. However, as the birthmark fades away, so does Georgina 's life. Hawthorne uses Georgiana 's character to symbolize beauty in this story. Georgiana is already made perfect in the eyes of Nature and all other men, expect Aylmer. Aylmer, representing Science, tries to change Georgiana 's beauty that Nature has created. Aylmer was successful in removing the birthmark, but unsuccessful in keeping Georgiana alive. Aylmer was too intertwined in Science to realize that Georgiana was perfectly made by Nature. Nature paid Aylmer back for trying to correct Georgiana 's face by taking the life of his beloved