Though everyone has their own definition of happiness and how it may be achieved, many still fall victim to society’s overwhelming standards and high expectations of how one should live. Throughout life, many that seek power may claim to have the answers one yearns for in order to gain the trust and loyalty they need to rule. However, by letting the ideas of the superior classes in society influence the course of actions one takes to achieve happiness, one automatically forfeits their natural right for the pursuit of happiness because how some may view happiness is not necessarily what one may want out of life. Various authors have portrayed this sense of absolute power through their writing as a way to bring awareness about the lack of control The two motifs of morality and imperfection in “The Birthmark” direct the readers’ attention towards Hawthorne’s belief that one 's instinctive actions represent human nature in a more genuine way than actions influenced by religious laws. In the short story Georgiana’s blemish represents the actuality of human nature and not the false pretense of perfection that people thrive so hard to achieve. However, Georgiana herself represents the general population in society. Because Georgiana dies after the author portrays her as completely perfect, one can imply that perfection cannot be achieved and is only an idea fabricated by society’s leaders or governmental bodies. In “The Birthmark” the government is embodied within the character Aylmer, whom is married to Georgiana. Kary Meyers Skredsvig agrees that Aylmer exhibits characteristics similar to those of the government when she write, “Aylmer...is consistently associated throughout the story with the highest of intentions, standards and worth” (Skredsvig 99). The marriage between the two characters indicates the correlation between the government’s superior influence and human behavior. Even Georgiana expresses her inferiority to Aylmer when she describes her own level of intellect as “simple” (Hawthorne 1). Aylmer 's strong yearn to eliminate the blemish upon Georgiana’s face Although Georgiana is very moral, she is never able to reach complete perfection. However, Georgiana represents the general population. She is unable to reach perfection because perfection does not exist. The idea of perfection is promoted by society as a way to keep the population within their social classes. If people are constantly motivated to become something that is not real, they shall never reach a sense of fulfillment and therefore keep working towards the goal. At one point of the story, Hawthorne writes, “[Aylmer] was very confident in his science,” to the point where he was positive, “he could draw a magic circle round [Georgiana] within which no evil might intrude” (Hawthorne 5). The “magic circle” is the social class that Aylmer does not want her to be released from and the “evil” is the knowledge of his motives that he wishes to keep hidden from her. Furthermore, by keeping Georgiana within this “magic circle” Aylmer would also be able to control her ideas and
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 unmarried, Georgiana is no longer able to exist in this world. The birthmark has references to life, death, nature, beauty, insecurities and disgust.
Happiness: an idea so abstract and intangible that it requires one usually a lifetime to discover. Many quantify happiness to their monetary wealth, their materialistic empire, or time spent in relationships. However, others qualify happiness as a humble campaign to escape the squalor and dilapidation of oppressive societies, to educate oneself on the anatomy of the human soul, and to locate oneself in a world where being happy dissolves from a number to spiritual existence. Correspondingly, Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and Krakauer’s Into the Wild illuminate the struggles of contentment through protagonists which venture against norms in their dystopian or dissatisfying societies to find the virtuous refuge of happiness. Manifestly, societal
“The Birth Mark” is a story of an elusive search for perfection when an alchemist named Aylmer who is committed to his work, and is married to a beautiful woman named Georgiana, attempts to remove his wife’s birthmark. Aylmer brings up the topic of her birthmark soon after their marriage and says that she would be perfect if it were removed. This statement completely destroys Georgiana’s self-image, and now believes that she is ugly since her husband believes the same. Georgiana is so devoted to her husband that she views herself utterly through his vision of
Aylmer mentions, “I feel myself fully competent to render this dear cheek as faultless as its fellow; . . . what will be my triumph when I shall have corrected what Nature left imperfect in her fairest work!” (Hawthorne 3). Aylmer is confident and determined to prove he is capable of succeeding at an experiment to perfectly expunge Georgiana’s birthmark. The story narrates, “. . . for he was confident in his science, and felt that he could draw a magic circle round her within which no evil might intrude” (Hawthorne 4). Aylmer is predicting that his experiment will be the best anyone has ever seen and defines his idea as
Following a vivid dream in which Aylmer surgically removes Georgiana’s birthmark, Aylmer assures Georgiana with extreme faith in himself that he can heal their woes by removing the birthmark. The birthmark serves as a symbol for the uncleanliness of the sin that could be in her; not that she has been terribly unrighteous, but the birthmark, like sin, is an imperfection that he wishes to purify. I think the birthmark is a part of Georgiana that Aylmer cannot understand or explain, so he condemns it as sinful. It is possible that Aylmer may feel that what man cannot fathom is not of good nature. The idea that man associates evil with things he does not understand shows the close-mindedness that humans continue to carry through to the next generations through socialization. It could be a defense mechanism that we use to avoid physical or social harm. The shape of the birthmark also adds to its sin-like nature due to the negative co...
In the short story The Birth-mark, Aylmer: scientist, philosopher and perfectionist, is married to Georgiana, a woman of unthinkable beauty and possibly the closest woman to ever reach perfection. However, the tiny hand shaped mark that lay on the surface of her cheek aggravates Aylmer and he thinks day and night of how he may get rid of it in order to help Georgiana reach the perfection that he longs for. The actions that he proceeds to take, prove that he is indeed the villain and the one to blame for Georgiana’s death. He does so by tearing her down with crude words, making Georgiana feel insecure and self-conscious about her outward appearance as well as keeping his failed experiments a secret to her.
medical practices are beneficial; they are done to cure people from illness and to save
...ection. By removing the birthmark from Georgiana’s face, Aylmer has taken away her humanity thus leading Georgiana to her death. Georgiana cannot live anymore because she is no longer a human being. Therefore claiming that science has its limits over nature and if those limits are crossed the consequences could be fatal.
After a deeper analysis of the characters in the story “The Birthmark” it is easy to see there are multiple hidden meanings throughout. The characteristics and actions of Aylmer, Georgiana, Amenidab and Nature help us to see deeper into the characters and see their true motivations and meanings in the story.
Through this approach, a person can better understand how society and its distinction between men and women play a part in the theme of perfection. The story of The Birthmark is told through a third person narration, so it is easier to understand both characters in the story and their point of views. Aylmer is the person who urgently seeks perfection in his Georgiana, his wife’s appearance. He desperately wants to remove the birthmark that is shaped like a small hand on Georgiana’s face and she is seen as reluctant at first, but changes her mind shortly after. The story conveys the idea of male dominance, as displayed through how she speaks. She never debates against Aylmer in defending her birthmark, but simply questions him with her concerns. After she accepts his request to remove the birthmark, she says “Aylmer, spare me not, though you should find the birth-mark take refuge in my heart at last” (Hawthorne 343). Her resistance to say more is not due to mutual feeling of discontent towards the birthmark, rather it is the feeling of obedience and the idea that she belongs to him and is willing to devote her life to him. Even by the end of the story, she displays the possibility of death from consuming the potion, yet she drinks it for him anyway. In relation to The Birthmark, the story of Girl can be viewed through a feminist approach as well, as it provides readers with a better understanding to the mother’s way of shaping her daughter. The type of perfection that the mother aims for is based on what society considers as a “respectable women.” The majority of the things that she tells her daughter are a reflection on how society pictures the role of a woman. Her idea of perfection simply revolves around the expectations of society on female sexuality. As a result, the mother enforces these expectations of society, such as how
Happiness plays an important and necessary role in the lives of people around the world. In America, happiness has been engrained in our national consciousness since Thomas Jefferson penned these famous words in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (Jefferson). Since then, Americans have been engaged in that act: pursuing happiness. The problem however, as Ray Bradbury demonstrates in his novel Fahrenheit 451, is that those things which make us happy initially may eventually lead to our downfall. By examining Guy Montag, the protagonist in Fahrenheit 451, and the world he lives in we can gain valuable insights to direct us in our own pursuit of happiness. From Montag and other characters we will learn how physical, emotional, and spiritual happiness can drastically affect our lives. We must ask ourselves what our lives, words, and actions are worth. We should hope that our words are not meaningless, “as wind in dried grass” (Eliot).
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
From the moment of birth, to the moment of death, humans are flooded with emotions both good and bad. Individuals are continuously seeking fulfillment, some failing to find it while others succeed. Many seek adoration; love, accomplishment and greatness. In literature, authors take the readers on journeys that allow imagination, granting the possibility for the reader to grasp inner desires and decide what is truly important in life. Literature allows readers to dive into a different world where happiness and fulfillment is plentiful and eternal, also described as a utopia, while other pieces of literature direct the reader into a world of dissatisfaction which is a dystopia. Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is in 26th century England. With the help of advanced technology and drugs, happiness fills the lives of the people living at that time period. But, the people are missing out on one of the most important feelings of life. That is sorrow or unhappiness. The society in Brave New World is very different from modern-day society; many aspects of life are removed such as family, monogamy, and religion. The citizens of Brave New World live in false happiness with all the necessities of life provided for them but have the lack of an inferred deeper satisfaction. In Brave New World happiness is the lack of unhappiness because the inhabitants can never truly know what happiness is without experiencing true unhappiness. The lifestyle in Brave New World is built on the notion that happiness is the only thing necessary in one’s life. This novel suggest that the reader should seek things besides happiness because the citizens in the World State live bleak and monotonous lives which show the faults in this so-called ‘perfect’ society. In thi...
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
The birthmark, “a crimson stain upon the snow” was an imperfection and a symbol of “his wife’s liability to sin, sorrow, decay and death.” Through Aylmer’s vision, the birthmark was looked upon as a defect in his wife; nevertheless it was Aylmer who was the flaw in their relationship. He obsessed over something unattainable which cost his wife’s life. The birthmark enhanced her beauty and is described as “many a desperate swain would have risked life for the privilege of pressing his lips to this mysterious hand.” The birthmark was not seen as a flaw in her by other men except her husband. On the other hand, one should notice, that Hawthorne in this short story does not mention any of Georgina’s view on Aylmer’s flaws. This implies the conflict between the gender’s expectations in a society. It is okay for a man to be flawed where as a woman is expected to be perfect in all form. This is also seen today, only the ‘beautiful’ women are seen on the television and some that may be a little less beautiful get the surgeries done. The society has made this imaginary perception of a perfect woman. Every woman is expected to be perfect. Whether it is at home as a hou...